Mains fed to achieve parity with bottled coolers by 2019

From:FoodBev

The West European water cooler market grew by a further 2% during 2014 to an end-of-year total of £2.9m, according to food and drink consultancy Zenith International.

Mains fed water coolers came close to overtaking bottled water coolers, with a 5% rise in the number of units contrasting with the 0.2% decline in bottled cooler numbers. Bottled coolers now account for a 55% share – down from 57% in 2013 – while mains fed water coolers are steadily heading towards a majority share.

In other findings, Zenith found that the UK retains the lead for water cooler installations, with 24% of the total. Italy and France also saw modest gains, at 17% and 15% shares respectively. Many other countries achieved increases in the bottled cooler segment, but Finland and Portugal both experienced falls of 6%.

“Point of use continues to take market share away from bottles, with many customers making a straight conversion,” said Zenith International market intelligence director Esther Renfrew. “Portugal, Spain, Ireland and France have seen conversion rates of 70% and higher. Conversion rates are also climbing in six other West European countries.”

Mains fed water coolers achieved double digit growth in Austria, Switzerland and Germany, led by Belgium and Portugal with growth rates of over 17%.

Spring water remains the most popular type of water in bottled coolers, though its share dropped to 30% of bottled cooler volume. Mineral water and purified water grew, while eau de boisson slipped back to 14.5% of bottle sales.

Zenith forecasts that point of use mains water cooler numbers will continue to advance faster than bottled water cooler installations, approaching a 50% share by 2019.

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