Hydration nation

A major driver of in-store sales, the bottled water segment has continued to innovate with flavoured and added-value variants, while manufacturers have been working hard to improve their sustainability credentials. This all adds up to refreshing news for your impulse growth, writes Gillian Hamill

Brand Central

22 January 2021

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We all know few drinks are healthier than bottled water. In recent years, bottled water sales have benefitted from increased health-consciousness on the part of consumers, coupled with a spike in people playing sports. As the new year rolls in, Irish consumers will once again turn to the bottled water market to stay healthy and hydrated during their daily exercise. Not all bottled water is the same, and retailers can benefit greatly from discerning Irish consumers becoming more attracted by products positioned as “smart water” or added-value waters.

According to Euromonitor research from December 2019, these products could see record value sales growth as consumers become increasingly brand aware. Just as single use plastics and waste produced in the category have become a topic of contention, brands have responded in kind and have begun to produce more environmentally friendly products. The category has also developed the number of options available to consumers, offering a variety of flavoured waters. Don’t get caught without the top products – make sure you are stocking the brands and new innovative formats outlined below

750 years of heritage

All Ballygowan bottles are 100% recyclable and encourage consumers to recycle with ‘recycle me’ printed on all caps

Ballygowan, a proud Irish brand, is Ireland’s number one water brand and is tapping into the continuing growing consumer demand for healthier options.

Key to the success of Ireland’s original and most popular water is firstly its product quality, its local Irish heritage, a strong consumer communication plan and its product innovation.

With 750 years of heritage and purity filtering through mineral rich limestone, Ballygowan is hydrating the nation, helping consumers look and feel their best inside and out.

With sustainability an increasing consumer concern, Ballygowan is committed to helping to create a more sustainable future and believes that packaging should never become waste and the recycling process should be as easy as possible for consumers. All Ballygowan bottles are 100% recyclable and encourage consumers to recycle with ‘recycle me’ printed on all caps. The bottling plant in New Castle West has reduced manufacturing emissions by over 90% since switching to renewable energy and in September 2020, Ballygowan launched its 500ml range in bottles that are now made from 100% recycled plastic. This is just the beginning of the journey for the brand.

Ballygowan leads the market with the broadest pack offering in the water sector. The brand is available in still and sparkling across a variety of PET and glass.

Safe, satisfying and 100% Irish

Fitness entrepreneur Aidan Roche developed the new Defiant brand

Defiant is a new bottled water: Pure, plain water. That’s it. Filtered seven times. No carcinogens, no metals, no arsenic, no mercury, no aluminium, no pesticides, no fluoride, no bacteria and no calories. So, just water. Safe, satisfying and 100% Irish.

Defiant has been developed by fitness entrepreneur Aidan Roche who not only has a background in sport and business but is also a strong advocate of being healthy and well. Aidan Roche says he spotted a gap in the market for a completely pure water brand after researching the sector and being unhappy with what was on offer. Defiant is a water your customers can trust and enjoy. It’s for people who care about what they put in their bodies and comes with no nasty additives, so is therefore risk free.

To learn more about the brand, check out www.defiantwater.com for some big colourful pictures and a guy in a white coat telling you all about the science! Seriously (and Defiant is very serious about its water), details of the brand’s story, where Defiant is currently stocked and other cool stuff is there. Also check out the brand’s social media platforms; Facebook @drinkdefiant, Instagram @defiant.water and Linkedin Defiant Water.

Big citrus taste

After a full month of indulging which peaks at Christmas, most consumers start the new year with committing to a healthier lifestyle and cleaner diets. However, great taste and enjoyment still remain their top priorities when shopping for drinks.

As consumers are looking for meal accompaniments and alternatives to alcoholic drinks, fizzy drinks continue to be hugely popular but are seen to be a less healthy “guilty” choice, particularly as most are high in sugar.

At Danone, the team doesn’t believe shoppers should have to choose between enjoying a refreshing tasty fizzy drink and being health conscious – why not have both? That’s why Danone created L’mon – to give consumers a tasty, low sugar alternative without compromising on taste.

L’mon, from the makers of Volvic, is a new range of zesty sparkling drinks, made in the UK, that combine sumptuous citrus blends, with at least 25% real fruit juice and British spring water.

Each 330ml can of L’mon delivers the taste experience of a soft drink but without the nasties, with less than 38 calories per can.

All the products are low in natural sugars, with no added sugar*, free from artificial colours, flavours and preservatives and only use naturally sourced ingredients.

L’mon is available in three citrusy variants: Lemon & Orange, Lemon & Lime and Lemon & Grapefruit.

When tested with consumers, L’mon scores ‘Outstanding’ as a product proposition and sits at the top 20% of non-alcoholic beverages in terms of purchase intent.**

Adding L’mon to your product repertoire, can help you meet consumers’ needs for tasty and healthier beverages in ‘Dry January’, while it will boost your category growth!

The brand’s website www.sparklinglmon.co.uk/ provides information on the products’ ingredients and nutritionals, and has answers to many questions that consumers usually have.

*(Contains naturally occurring sugars from the fruit juice)

**(Source: Bases research September 2020)

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