The number of point of use mains water units grew by 4% last year, while there was a 1% decline for bottled water cooler numbers. Bottled water coolers claimed a 57% share of the 2.8 million total, down from 58% in 2012. Point of use gained further popularity and appears to be heading towards a share ultimately beyond 50%.
The UK retains the lead for water cooler installations, with 24% of the total, higher than in 2012. Italy and France also saw slight gains at 17% and 15% shares respectively. Many other countries managed increases in the bottled cooler segment, but Portugal experienced a drop of 7%.
“Point of use continues to take market share away from bottles, with many customers making a straight conversion,” said market intelligence director Esther Renfrew. “Portugal, Norway, Ireland and France have seen conversion rates of over 70%.”
Point of use achieved double-figure growth in Austria and Germany, with Switzerland claiming the fastest rise in 2013 at 17%.
Spring water is the most popular type of water, rising to 32% of bottled cooler volume. Mineral water and purified water each grew, while eau de boisson lost share, falling back to 15% of sales in bottles.
Zenith forecasts that point of use numbers will continue to grow faster than bottled water cooler installations, approaching a 50% share in 2018.
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