Between 1993 and 2011, the UK bottled water market (including water coolers), has grown from just 580 million litres to almost 2.1 billion litres.

The UK bottled water market is worth over £1.5 billion.
Bottled water holds a significant share of the soft drinks industry in the UK and sales in this country of locally-produced waters continue to account for an enormous proportion of the total: in 2011 1,628 million litres of UK-produced bottled water were consumed here in the UK. Total UK bottled water production stood at 1,692 million litres in 2011. As a nation we now drink more bottled water than fruit juices/nectars, wine or spirits. The long term growth in bottled water consumption is testament, perhaps, to the now ubiquitous acceptance of the advice to drink eight glasses of water a day for optimum health. Interest in natural foods and drinks is gaining ground reflected in the fact that natural water – Natural Mineral Water and Spring Water – have seen combined growth of around 5% in 2011.

UK bottled water consumption per person advanced to nearly 34 litres in 2011, up from 26.9 litres in 2001. Zenith International estimates that longer-term growth will continue, with bottled water consumption projected to reach almost 41 litres per person by 2021. However, compare this with Italian bottled water consumption rates, which stand at around 189 million litres. US citizens drank an average 67 litres per head in 2002 compared with an estimated 103 litres in 2011. There is clearly considerable room for growth in the UK market.

Consumer demands for convenience have driven developments in packaging in recent years. The purchase of 50cl PET and 1.5 litre PET formats continues to dominate. Meanwhile, the decline in water coolers has seen the 19 litre polycarbonate size see its share diminished. In 2010 for the first time the UK Government’s Office of National Statistics included bottled water as an item in the standard shopping basket.

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