Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Impact of COVID-19 on bottled water
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- Figure 1: Short, medium and long-term impact of COVID-19 on bottled water, 17 May 2021
- The market
- On-premise sales drop drags down bottled water market value in 2020
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- Figure 2: Market size and forecast for bottled water, 2015-25
- Still unflavoured water leads in spite of big hit to sales
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- Figure 3: Retail value sales of bottled water, by segment, 2018-20
- Deposit return scheme penned for 2024
- Category needs to respond to ageing population
- Companies and brands
- Sparkling, flavoured and home-focused brands are least hit
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- Figure 4: Leading brands’ sales and shares in the UK bottled water retail market, by value and volume, 2018/19-2020/21
- Water in cans launches and rPET continue to grow
- Functional claims fall following 2019 uptick
- Adspend drops by two thirds in 2020
- The consumer
- Usage of bottled water remains high
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- Figure 5: Usage of bottled water, by type, 2018-21
- Water filter usage remains steady
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- Figure 6: Usage of water filter products at home, February 2020 and February 2021
- One in five want less shrink wrap
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- Figure 7: Concepts that would prompt buying bottled water for home, February 2021
- Less traditional flavours warrant attention
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- Figure 8: Behaviours related to bottled water, February 2021
- Two fifths interested in immune support
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- Figure 9: Interest in bottled water with functional benefits, February 2021
- Two in five interested in branded mineral supplements
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- Figure 10: Attitudes towards bottled water, February 2021
Issues and Insights
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- Spotlight on sustainability poses a crucial challenge to bottled water
- COVID-19 is set to fuel a permanent shift to more time at home
The Market – Key Takeaways
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- On-premise sales drop drags down bottled water market value in 2020
- Still unflavoured water leads in spite of big hit to sales
- Deposit return scheme penned for 2024
- Category needs to respond to ageing population
Market Size and Forecast
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- On-premise sales drop drags down bottled water market value in 2020
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- Figure 11: Short, medium and long-term impact of COVID-19 on bottled water, 17 May 2021
- Market value loss driven by on-premise slump
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- Figure 12: Market size for bottled water, 2015-25 (prepared on 17 May 2021)
- Strong rebound expected in 2021 and 2022
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- Figure 13: UK total value and volume sales of bottled water, 2015-25 (prepared on 17 May 2021)
- Market drivers and assumptions
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- Figure 14: Key drivers affecting Mintel’s market forecast, 2015-25 (prepared on 17 May 2021)
- Learnings from the 2008/09 recession
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- Figure 15: Value sales of bottled water, 2007-12
- Forecast methodology
Market Segmentation
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- On-premise closures and loss of out-of-home retail buys drag down sales
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- Figure 16: UK value and volume sales of bottled water, by retail and on-premise channel, 2015-20
- Still unflavoured water leads in spite of big hit to sales
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- Figure 17: UK retail value and volume sales of bottled water, by segment, 2018-20
Market Drivers
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- Deposit return scheme penned for 2024
- Plastic pollution remains a high concern, water refill network grows
- Government steps up focus on health
- Overseas brands stand to feel the impacts of Britain’s new trade relations
- Category needs to respond to ageing population
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- Figure 18: Trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2015-20 and 2020-25
Companies and Brands – Key Takeaways
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- Sparkling and home-focused brands are least hit
- Water in cans launches and rPET continue to grow
- Functional claims fall following 2019 uptick
- Adspend drops by two thirds in 2020
Market Share
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- Sparkling, flavoured and home-focused brands are least hit
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- Figure 19: Leading brands’ sales and shares in the UK bottled water retail market, by value and volume, 2018/19-2020/21
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Water in cans launches continue to grow
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- Figure 20: New product launches in the UK bottled water market, by packaging type, 2016-20
- Highland Spring and Aldi expand into cans
- One Water launches reusable bottles, Highland Spring a 10-litre water bag-in-box
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- Figure 21: Examples of recent water launches in metal packaging, 2020-21
- Brands continue to push plastic innovation
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- Figure 22: Product launches in the bottled water category with selected ethical claims, 2016-20
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- Figure 23: Selected product launches in the bottled water category highlighting sustainability, 2020-21
- Leading players continue with wider sustainability initiatives
- Nestlé looks to close the loop with Biffa
- Danone Waters achieves B Corp status
- Feel Good Drinks and One offer rare examples of charity focus
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- Figure 24: Product launches in the bottled water category with a charity claim, 2020-21
- Functional claims fall following 2019 uptick
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- Figure 25: Product launches in the bottled water category with functional and fortified claims, 2016-21
- Buxton and Voss explore natural elements in fortification
- Volvic and Radnor look to vitamins for added health
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- Figure 26: Recent product launches in the bottled water category with fortification, 2020-21
Advertising and Marketing Activity
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- Adspend drops by two thirds in 2020
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- Figure 27: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on bottled water, by month, 2019 and 2020
- Nestlé and Coca-Cola lead spending
- Glacéau focuses on recycled plastic
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- Figure 28: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on bottled water, by advertiser, ordered by 2020, January 2019-April 2021
- Buxton gets new look and campaign
- S.Pellegrino and Highland Spring go digital
- Highland Spring launches 10-glass challenge and sustainability push
- 2020 campaign puts spotlight on sustainability
- The Natural 10 Challenge sets a 10 glasses a day target
- Evian launches ‘Drink True’ in early 2021
- Primetime TV ad for Perfectly Clear
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
Brand Research
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- Brand map
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- Figure 29: Attitudes towards and usage of selected brands, March 2021
- Key brand metrics
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- Figure 30: Key metrics for selected brands, March 2021
- Brand attitudes: Glacéau Smartwater seen as most innovative
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- Figure 31: Attitudes, by brand, March 2021
- Brand personality: S.Pellegrino top for exclusivity
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- Figure 32: Brand personality – macro image, March 2021
- Buxton and Highland Spring seen as most traditional
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- Figure 33: Brand personality – micro image, March 2021
- Brand analysis
- S.Pellegrino most widely seen as an exclusive brand
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- Figure 34: User profile of S.Pellegrino, March 2021
- Volvic jointly leads the group on image as pure
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- Figure 35: User profile of Volvic, March 2021
- Evian seen as trustworthy by half
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- Figure 36: User profile of Evian, March 2021
- Highland Spring seen as one of the most accessible brands
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- Figure 37: User profile of Highland Spring, March 2021
- Buxton holds joint lead on authentic image
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- Figure 38: User profile of Buxton, March 2021
- Glacéau Smartwater seen as most innovative in the group
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- Figure 39: User profile of Glacéau Smartwater, March 2021
- Reading word clouds
The Consumer – Key Takeaways
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- Usage of bottled water remains high
- Water filter usage remains steady
- One in five want less shrink wrap
- Less traditional flavours warrant attention
- Two fifths interested in immune support
- Two in five interested in branded mineral supplements
Impact of COVID-19 on Consumer Behaviour
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- Sustainable packaging a focus for a quarter of people in 2021
- COVID-19 restrictions hit out-of-home sales
- Hygiene concerns curb public refills
- A third of users and buyers order larger quantities online
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- Figure 40: Selected consumer shopping behaviours since the COVID-19/coronavirus outbreak, 4 February-6 May 2021
- A heightened focus on the nation’s health
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- Figure 41: Healthy eating as a priority since the COVID-19 outbreak, by gender and age, 4-12 February 2021
Usage of Bottled Water
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- Usage of bottled water remains high
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- Figure 42: Usage of bottled water, by type, 2018-21
- One in five drink unflavoured still water on a daily basis
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- Figure 43: Usage of bottled water, by type, by frequency, February 2021
Usage of Water Filter Products and Sparkling Water Makers
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- Water filter usage remains steady
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- Figure 44: Usage of water filter products at home, February 2020 and February 2021
- One in 10 use a sparkling water maker
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- Figure 45: Usage of sparkling water makers at home, February 2021
Concepts that Would Prompt Buying Bottled Water for Home
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- One in five want less shrink wrap
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- Figure 46: Concepts that would prompt buying bottled water for home, February 2021
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- Figure 47: Soft drinks multipacks in cardboard packaging, 2019-20
- Water bag-in-a-box interests one in 10
- One in six eye up large glass bottles
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- Figure 48: Examples of bottled water launches in large, glass bottle packaging, 2020
Behaviours Related to Bottled Water
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- Less traditional flavours warrant attention
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- Figure 49: Behaviours related to bottled water, February 2021
- Two fifths think flavoured water is too sweet
Interest in Bottled Water with Functional Benefits
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- Two fifths interested in immune support
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- Figure 50: Interest in bottled water with functional benefits, February 2021
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- Figure 51: Product launches in the bottled water market with immunity support claims, 2020-21
- Skin health attracts equal interest to immunity
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- Figure 52: Drink product launches with skin-related functional benefit claims, 2020-21
Attitudes towards Bottled Water
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- Half show faith in green credentials of glass bottles
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- Figure 53: Attitudes towards bottled water, February 2021
- Two in five interested in water in cartons
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- Figure 54: Examples of water and juice product launches in cartons, 2020
- Two in five interested in branded mineral supplements
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
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- Forecast methodology
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- Figure 55: UK value sales of bottled water, best- and worst-case forecast, 2020-25
- Figure 56: UK volume sales of bottled water, best- and worst-case forecast, 2020-25
Appendix – Market Share
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- Figure 57: Leading manufacturers’ sales and shares in the UK bottled water retail market, by value and volume, 2018/19-2020/21
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Appendix – Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Figure 58: New product launches in the UK bottled water market, by launch type, 2016-21
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