UK water drinks top 50 litres per person
In its 25th year analysing the UK bottled water market, specialist food and drink industry consultancy Zenith International has issued three reports to provide its most comprehensive overview of this dynamic sector. In addition to covering plain bottled water, Zenith has released a separate report on the water plus segment and a combined report for the whole category of water drinks.
According to Zenith, UK consumption of all water drinks rose 8.2% in 2015 to 3,299 million litres, with a retail value in excess of £2,500 million. Volumes have more than doubled over the past 15 years and consumption per person now stands at 51.7 litres a year, with plain water at 44.1 litres and water plus at 7.6 litres.
“This is a tremendous achievement by the industry, making sales 100 times higher than in 1980,” commented Zenith Chairman Richard Hall. “Yet the average in Europe and America is above 100 litres per person, so there is every prospect of continuing strong growth.”
In 2015, plain water sales in retail pack sizes jumped by 9.1% to 2,517 million litres. Water cooler sales advanced 5% to 296 million litres. Flavoured, functional and juicy water plus drinks increased 5.7% to 486 million litres.
Amongst other findings of the 2016 Zenith reports:
- Still water drinks were responsible for 83% of 2015 volume and sparkling water drinks 17%.
- Plain bottled water accounted for 85% of total consumption, flavoured and functional waters 13% and juicy waters 2%.
- The top 5 plain water brands by volume were Evian, Highland Spring, Buxton, Volvic and Nestlé Pure Life.
- The top 5 water plus brands by volume were Volvic Touch of Fruit, Calypso Clear, Trederwen Essence, Drench Juicy and Volvic Juiced.
“The new data from Zenith showing an increase in consumption of plain water is good to see as it is one of the healthiest ways to hydrate with no calories or sugar. Over 90% of bottled water sold in the UK is naturally sourced, with many high quality mineral and spring waters to choose from. There are still more than 30 million people who do not drink water at home in a typical week; that’s half the UK population, so encouraging plain water consumption - whether bottled still or sparkling or from the tap, should be encouraged,” commented Natural Hydration Council General Manager Kinvara Carey.
Zenith forecasts that, by 2020, the plain water market will reach in excess of 4,000 million litres and the total water drinks market will stand at almost 4,800 million litres.
The Zenith 2016 UK Water Drinks reports contain 463 pages with full market commentaries, 45 charts, 62 detailed tables and over 30 company profiles. Call Zenith International on +44 (0)1225 327900 or e-mail info@zenithinternational.com.
Notes for Editors:
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Two charts are attached for publication.
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For further information, please contact:
Richard Hall or Simon Johnson, Zenith International Ltd
7 Kingsmead Square, Bath BA1 2AB, United Kingdom
t +44 (0)1225 327900, f +44 (0)1225 327901
