Hydration is one of the top selling points for bottled water for consumers in Germany, with many Germans saying that it hydrates them better than other drinks. On top of that, consumers agree that bottled water trumps tap water in taste.
Bottled Water Market Germany – Current Landscape
Despite the cost of living crisis, bottled water usage in 2024 remains almost nation-wide unchanged from 2022. However, while sparkling unflavoured water is the top choice, the flavoured sparkling water segment records losses in consumer reach and frequency. Moreover, financial pressure further prompted savvy shopping behaviours with private label having extended their dominant market position in 2023.
While the overall use of refillable bottles remained stable between 2022-24, the usage of public refill points for reusable bottles has increased. To address this risk, brands can explore paid sparkling water stations to appeal to unflavoured sparkling bottled water drinkers who think there aren’t enough public places to refill a reusable bottle on-the-go.
As consumers’ financial confidence improves more opportunities to strengthen the appeal of bottled water to health-conscious consumers will open up. For example, by rebranding water as a healthy alternative to alcohol to socialise over or introducing immune-boosting or gut-health features or catering to active lifestyles with protein and isotonic properties.
Bottled Water Market Germany – Market Statistics
- Bottled Water Germany Market Share: At almost 50% private labels hold the majority of volume shares in the bottled water market Germany.
- Bottled Water in Germany Market Research: 91% of Germans use bottled water, with the top two selling points being hydration and taste.
Bottled Water in Germany Market Research – What’s Inside?
Key Topics Analysed in this Report
- The short-, medium- and long-term impact of inflation, consumer behaviour, and rising temperatures on the bottled water market Germany.
- Bottled water consumption, including the dominance of sparkling unflavoured water in the German market, and reasons for buying bottled water.
- Consumer attitudes and behaviours towards bottled water launches that are focused on health trends and sustainability, and consumer interest in innovations, such as re-sealable cans or subtle flavours.
- Recent launch activity, innovations, bottled water Germany market share and size, and a five-year market outlook.
Report Scope
This Report examines the German retail market for bottled water, excluding sales through foodservice channels.
Mintel’s bottled water Germany market report segments bottled waters into flavoured and unflavoured variants:
- Flavoured Water: Still and sparkling waters that are flavoured with fruit, spice, or coffee.
- Unflavoured Water: Still and sparkling waters that have not been artificially flavoured.
Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis
This report was written by Charlotte Sander, Research Analyst at Mintel. Charlotte joined Mintel in 2023, coming from a marketing background. Her MA in Consumption, Culture, and Marketing from Royal Holloway University of London bolstered her specialisation in quantitative consumer research. This knowledge underscores her expertise in market dynamics and consumer analysis in the German Food and Drink market.
Brands can boost bottled water’s health image as a non-alcoholic social drink while addressing environmental issues with durable packaging and branded refill stations.
Charlotte Sander
Research Analyst
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- The five-year outlook for bottled water
- Market context
- Prices create a shift to own-label water
- Regulations push for sustainable packaging outlook
- BMEL pushes for water refill stations
- Mintel predicts
- Market size & forecast for bottled water
- Value sales are expected to remain stable…
- …and volume sales to decline modestly
- Opportunities
- Rebrand water as a healthy alcohol alternative for social occasions
- Health-conscious consumers welcome immune-boosting fortifications
- Tap into a variety of health needs
- Jump onto the refill trend with water stations and reusable bottles
- The competitive landscape
- Own labels further expand their volume shares
- Graph 1: company retail value and volume market shares of bottled water, 2023
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MARKET DRIVERS
- The German economy
- 2024 is expected to remain challenging
- Graph 2: key economic data, in real terms, 2019-25
- The inflation rate is bouncing back to more conventional levels
- Inflation is still the key factor affecting consumers’ finances…
- …confidence and expenditure
- Graph 3: financial confidence index, 2022-24
- The impact of the economy on the bottled water industry
- Packaging
- The PPWR pushes for sustainable packaging
- Tethered caps on PET bottles create negative consumer sentiment
- Health
- BMEL nutritional recommendations will increase availability of water refill points and boost health awareness
- Drinking water ordinance regulations have been tightened
- Heatflation: temperature rises drive bottled water sales and prices…
- …but also result in water shortages
- Leisure
- Socialising is crucial for both consumers and brands
- 2024 sports events drive refilling and tap water consumption
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WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- Consumption of bottled water
- Nine out of 10 Germans drink bottled water
- Hydration and taste are the top selling factors
- Enhance the drinking experience for 16-24 year olds – the top bottled water drinkers
- Sparkling water – the most common choice for Germans
- Graph 4: frequency of drinking bottled water in the last three months, by type, 2024
- Sparkling unflavoured water usage remains stable
- Make flavoured water the healthier CSD alternative…
- …by tapping into subtle flavours with fruit-herb mixtures
- Use of refillable bottles, in-home water filters and sparkling water makers
- Tap into increased demand for filtered water
- Graph 5: use of water filter jug/machine/filter tap at home, 2022-24
- Spice up flavours for beverage mixes
- Use of sparkling water makers and refillable bottles is stable in Germany
- Graph 6: use of refillable water bottles when out of home, 2022-24
- Graph 7: use of a sparkling water maker, 2022-24
- Create single-use plastic bottles for multi-purpose use…
- …taking examples from UK brands
- (Ful)filling a purpose with refill points
- Graph 8: use of public water refill points for refilling a reusable bottle, 2022-24
- Reasons for drinking bottled water
- Stand out by highlighting taste and health aspects
- Graph 9: ‘I drink bottled water because it…’, 2024
- Offer functional water as a booster for energy and focus…
- …with functional health claims
- Support sports performance of young consumers…
- …with added protein and isotonic claims
- Behaviour towards water and interest in bottled water concepts
- Hydration is an important health goal for most consumers
- Graph 10: behaviour towards health and bottled water, 2024
- Packaging type and deposit return schemes are important to Germans
- Graph 11: behaviour towards bottled water, 2024
- Incorporate natural extracts into water…
- …and experiment with probiotic features
- Resealable cans can cater to consumers
- Attitudes towards bottled water
- Enhance sustainable bottle packaging…
- Graph 12: attitudes towards packaging and sustainability in bottled water, 2024
- …while fortifications and flavours spark(le) interest
- Graph 13: attitudes towards flavours and ingredients in bottled water, 2024
- Make water a social drink…
- …and tap into water as the new no-alcohol alternative
- Enhance beauty from within for 16-24 year olds
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LAUNCH ACTIVITY AND INNOVATION
- Branded bottled water dominates launch activity
- Graph 14: bottled water NPD by companies, 2022-24
- 2024 marks a rise in new product launches …
- …aligning with consumers’ sustainability requirements
- Use nostalgia to enhance bottle design
- Collaborate with artists for a visual appeal
- Creating flavour by adding fruit and herbs to water
- Canned sparkling water with a hint of flavour
- Highlight natural and harmonious properties
- Vöslauer extends its water range…
- …with fun-to-have products
- Just add fortification and taste to water
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Gerolsteiner highlights hydration and minerals
- EiszeitQuell addresses health-conscious consumers
- Volvic highlights naturalness
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MARKET SHARE
- Retail market share of bottled water, by value and volume, 2022-23
- Bottled water brands remain stable, but own label grows share
- Own labels gained most value share…
- …but less so in volume share, indicating that own-label prices increased in 2023
- Company retail value and volume shares of unflavoured bottled water, 2022-23
- Own-label bottled water shares grow due to the cost-of-living crisis
- Company retail value and volume shares of flavoured bottled water, 2022-23
- Group Danone loses market share in the flavoured bottled water category, while own label grows value
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MARKET SIZE, SEgmentation AND FORECAST
- Volume sales slightly declined again in 2023, while price-driven value sales grew
- Graph 15: retail volume sales of bottled water, 2019-23
- Graph 16: retail value sales of bottled water, 2019-23
- Retail value sales of bottled water, by segment, 2021-23
- Retail volume sales of bottled water, by segment, 2021-23
- Value sales are expected to remain stable…
- …and volume sales are expected to decline moderately
- Outlook for bottled water market beyond 2024
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APPENDIX
- Appendix – products covered, abbreviations, consumer research methodology and language usage
- Products covered in this Report
- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
- A note on language
- Appendix – market size and central forecast methodology
- Forecast methodology
- Forecast methodology – fan chart
- Market size and forecast – value
- Market size and forecast – volume
- Market forecast and prediction intervals – value
- Market forecast and prediction intervals – volume
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