Stay ahead of the curve and secure future growth for your business with Mintel’s Bottled Water Market Report. The report provides a data-led understanding of the current bottled water market and opportunities within the industry for brands in the UK.
Topics Analysed
- Bottled water market performance and the impact of the rising cost of living.
- Usage of bottled and tap water with key demographics explored.
- Where bottled and tap water are drunk, including hospitality breakdown.
- Reasons for buying bottled water.
- Key trends in recent launch activity.
- Opportunities for brands in bottled water, e.g. leaning into the health image.
- Attitudes towards bottled water including consumer interest in paid refill stations.
UK Bottled Water Market Overview
Consumers’ improving financial confidence will enable some switching up from tap water to bottled water, but will also see some trading up to pricier soft drinks. Health becoming more front of mind as economising takes less of a centre stage should work in water’s favour.
However, the same trend is predicted to see interest in sustainability gain traction. This stands to keep the bottled water market under scrutiny for its single-use packaging and wider environmental footprint and makes continued progress in this space crucial for keeping shoppers on side.
Market opportunity
Refills stand out as opportunity area for brands and a means to boost their sustainability credentials. Over one in three bottled water users are willing to pay to use a flavoured/sparkling water refill station, this rising among the core younger users and those most put off by packaging litter.
What’s Next for the Bottled Water Industry?
Looking to the future, sustainability will become a key focus. Improving consumer confidence will dial up the focus, and continued progress will be crucial to keep shoppers on side. Marginal predicted growth in key 16-34s users by 2028 offers limited support for volumes. Yet, moves such as the Deposit Return Scheme offers potential to drive engagement, despite a postponing of it’s introduction in the UK.
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Market Definitions
For the purposes of this Report, Mintel has used the following definitions:
This Report covers sales of bottled water. This includes:
- Unflavoured water.
- Flavoured waters and fortified waters which see mineral water enhanced with natural flavours, herbs, vitamins, and/or sweeteners.
- Still water as well as carbonated water, also known as sparkling water, which is made by dissolving carbon dioxide into the water through a process of carbonation.
Market size data includes sales through the following outlets:
- Retail: This includes sales through retail outlets where bottled water is purchased for the purpose of in-home consumption or for drinking on the go, comprising supermarkets, convenience stores, and petrol forecourts, among others.
- On-premise: This includes anywhere where bottled water is bought to consume on-site, eg pubs, bars and clubs, leisure centres, hotels, restaurants, cafés, education establishments, and workplaces.
Expert Analysis
Leading food and drink analyst Claire Finnegan delivers expert industry insights with this in-depth report.
Improving consumer confidence should see bottled water benefit from a re-energised health focus. However, it will also face heightened scrutiny on sustainability.
Claire Finnegan
Food & Drink Analyst
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Executive Summary
- Opportunities for the bottled water market
- Refills hold untapped potential for water brands
- Lean into the strong importance attached to hydration
- Align with at-home usage
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Market size and forecast
- Market predictions
- Inflation and trading up will support value growth
- Unflavoured still water extended its lead in 2023 while pricier segments struggled
- Graph 1: retail sales of bottled water, by segment, 2021-23
- Own-label continues to gain ground in 2023/24
- Graph 2: retail sales of leading brands in bottled water, by value, 2021/22-2023/24
- Growing focus on health; further delays to DRS
- What consumers want and why
- Three in four people drink bottled water
- Graph 3: usage of bottled water by type, 2018-24
- At-home usage is the most popular single usage occasion for all bottled water types
- Graph 4: where bottled and tap water are drunk, 2024
- Wanting a chilled drink is the leading reason to buy bottled water
- Graph 5: reasons for buying bottled water, 2024
- Most consumers think staying hydrated is important for health
- Graph 6: behaviours related to bottled water, 2024
- Bottled water packaging is a contentious issue
- Graph 7: attitudes towards bottled water, 2024
- Innovation and marketing
- Bottled water loses share in soft drinks NPD
- Graph 8: soft drinks launch activity by sub-category, 2019-24
- Recent NPD focuses on better-for-you positioning
- Bottled water adspend on downward trajectory
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Market Dynamics
- Market size and performance
- A volatile 2019-23 period
- Graph 9: sales of bottled water, value and volume, 2019-24
- Poor weather and income squeeze see volumes ebb in 2023
- A return to volume growth expected in 2024
- Market forecast
- Inflation and trading up will support value growth
- Volumes expected to stagnate
- Improving confidence will facilitate trading up…
- …and a keener focus on sustainability
- Channels to market
- On-premise channel continues to regain share…
- Graph 10: value sales of bottled water, by retail and on-premise, 2019-24
- …its small volume stake belying a sizable share by value
- Graph 11: value sales of bottled water, by retail and on-premise, 2019-24
- Market segmentation
- Unflavoured still water extended its lead in 2023…
- Graph 12: retail value sales of bottled water, by segment, 2021-23
- Graph 13: retail volume sales of bottled water by segment, 2021-23
- …while pricier segments struggled
- Market share
- Own-label continues to gain ground in 2023/24
- Graph 14: retail sales of leading brands in bottled water, by value, 2021/22-2023/24
- Market leader Danone loses value share
- Own-label gains ground
- Macro-economic factors
- Economic output has stagnated since the cost of living crisis began
- Graph 15: GDP, 2021-23
- Falling inflation has reduced pressure on household finances
- Graph 16: CPI inflation rate, 2021-24
- Interest rates expected to fall in 2024, but borrowing pressures will remain
- Food and drink prices still top the list of consumer concerns
- Graph 17: cost of living related issues noticed in the last two months, 2024
- Consumer sentiment: wellbeing is up but the recovery has slowed
- Graph 18: the financial wellbeing index, 2016-24
- Consumer confidence continued to trend upwards
- Graph 19: the financial confidence index, 2016-24
- Improving consumer finances will have mixed effects on the category
- Social, environmental and legal factors
- Strong consumer interest in eating healthily
- Graph 20: how often people try to eat healthily, 2018-22 and 2024
- Government measures on HFSS food and drink slow to roll out
- A largely compliant bottled water category can benefit from HFSS restrictions
- DRS postponed until 2027
- DRS rolls out in Ireland in 2024
- Extended Producer Responsibility delayed until 2025
- Population trends
- Graph 21: trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2018-28
- Mixed effects from changes in size of different age groups
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What Consumers Want and Why
- Usage of bottled and tap water
- Three in four people drink bottled water
- Graph 22: usage of bottled water by type, 2018-24
- Category retains uptick from 2023
- Unflavoured still bottled water leads on usage
- Graph 23: frequency of drinking bottled water, by type, 2024
- Bottled water continues to be popular among younger consumers
- Graph 24: usage of bottled water types, by age, 2024
- Bottled water usage is highest among city dwellers
- Graph 25: usage of bottled water types, by area, 2024
- Where bottled and tap water are drunk
- At-home usage is the most popular single usage occasion across all bottled water types…
- Graph 26: where bottled and tap water are drunk, 2024
- At-home usage is top occasion for still bottled water…
- …underpinning the importance of user-friendly at-home formats
- Fridge-friendliness warrants focus…
- …as seen from bag-in-box
- Taste and quality concerns are key drivers for buying bottled water
- Out of home locations remain important touchpoints
- Graph 27: where bottled water is drunk, any out of home locations, 2024
- Reasons for buying bottled water
- Wanting a chilled drink is the leading reason to buy bottled water
- Graph 28: reasons for buying bottled water, 2024
- Coors offers cues on owning “cold”
- Health motivations are a key driver among buyers
- Air Up partners with boxer and reality TV personality Tommy Fury
- Bottled water as part of a meal is a particular draw for hybrid workers
- Behaviours related to bottled water
- Most consumers think staying hydrated is important for health
- Graph 29: behaviours related to bottled water, 2024
- A continued focus on functionality in NPD is warranted
- Dehydration is a concern for nearly half of bottled water users
- Lean into the strong importance attached to hydration
- Support consumers’ hydration efforts
- Drive visibility of the existing guidance on hydration
- A focus on the wider benefits of drinking water appears timely
- Lucozade’s FitWater spotlights the benefits of each electrolyte in its marketing…
- … and Smartwater links with beauty routines
- Attitudes towards bottled water
- Bottled water packaging is a contentious issue…
- Graph 30: attitudes towards bottled water, 2024
- … with many younger consumers feeling judged for using plastic water bottles
- Deposit return schemes have potential to boost category’s image
- Efforts to tackle packaging waste and litter range from serious to humorous
- Strong potential for refills
- Include flavoured/sparkling water in foodservice dispensers
- Younger consumers are most willing to pay to use flavoured/sparkling water refill solutions
- Refills hold untapped potential for water brands
- Strong interest in supplements with purification benefits…
- … highlights the continued need to reassure consumers about sourcing
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Innovation And Marketing Trends
- Launch activity and innovation
- Bottled water loses share in soft drinks NPD
- Graph 31: soft drinks launch activity by sub-category, 2019-24
- Leading brands launch new products…
- … alongside new entrants
- US-brand Liquid Death enters UK
- Functionality and nutrient fortification continue to attract NPD…
- …including protein…
- …probiotics and ashwaganda
- Innocent refreshes its Juicy range…
- … while Perfectly Clear, Dash and Rubicon focus on flavour innovation
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Bottled water adspend on downward trajectory
- Graph 32: total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising on bottled water, 2020-24*
- Coca-Cola leads spend on ATL advertising
- Graph 33: total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising on bottled water, by media type, 2020-24*
- Graph 34: total above–the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on bottled water, by advertiser, ordered by 2023, 2020-24*
- Zendaya partnered with Glaceau Smartwater in 2022
- ‘Smart Finds a Way with Zendaya’
- Evian supports launch of its sparkling water and continues Wimbledon partnership
- Evian launches ‘The Mountain of Youth’ campaign
- Aqua Pura links with time outdoors
- Highland Spring launches ‘Water As Nature Intended’
- Buxton partners with mental health charity Mind
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Appendix
- Supplementary data – usage of bottled and tap water
- Unflavoured still bottled water is the most popular type
- Graph 35: usage of unflavoured still bottled water, by frequency, 2018-24
- Graph 36: usage of flavoured still bottled water, by frequency, 2018-24
- Sparkling bottled water has gained momentum in recent years
- Graph 37: usage of unflavoured sparkling bottled water, by frequency, 2018-24
- Graph 38: usage of flavoured sparkling bottled water, by frequency, 2018-24
- Supplementary data – market share
- Leading brands’ value sales in the UK retail bottled water market
- Leading brands’ volume sales in the UK retail bottled water market
- Leading brand owners’ value sales in the UK retail bottled water market
- Leading brand owners’ volume sales in the UK retail bottled water market
- Supplementary data – channels to market
- Sales of bottled water, by retail and on-premise, by value
- Sales of bottled water, by retail and on-premise, by volume
- Supplementary data – market segmentation
- Retail sales of bottled water, by segment, by value
- Retail sales of bottled water, by segment, by volume
- Supplementary data – market forecast data and methodology
- Market forecast: underlying data (value)
- Market forecast: underlying data (volume)
- Market forecast and prediction intervals (value)
- Market forecast and prediction intervals (volume)
- Forecast methodology
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and terms
- Methodology
- Consumer research methodology
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
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