Abstract
Global bottled water specialist Zenith International is pleased to introduce
its first ever report on bottled and bulk water in Latin America. This report
provides an invaluable insight into bottled water trends of Central and South
America, which include some of the biggest bottled water markets worldwide.
Across much of Latin America, bottled water is considered by many consumers as
a necessity rather than a lifestyle choice, and consequently, the region
boasts some of the largest bottled water markets worldwide, topped by Mexico
and Brazil. Poor quality tap water coupled with a growing awareness of health
and wellness issues have meant that demand for bottled water in many markets
has risen sharply in recent years, with bulk packaged water driving
consumption forward in many countries.
Despite the fact that the bulk packaged water format is widespread in the
majority of Latin American markets, usage of electric water cooler units,
which are integrally linked to this format in many other regions, is not well
established. More often than not, coolers are used as a bargaining tool to
secure a water delivery account and offered free of charge to high consumption
clients. Nevertheless, cooler units are found throughout the region, and this
reports looks at common practices and trends in their usage.
As yet the bottled water market in Latin America remains highly fragmented,
and in the larger markets it is characterised by hundreds or even thousands of
small-scale, local bottlers. This industry structure has come about with the
predominance of purified over natural source waters, which offer much lower
entry barriers resulting in the setting up and running of even the smallest
scale bottling operations.
Nevertheless, the global bottled water multinationals, namely Danone, PepsiCo,
Coca-Cola and Nestle are all present in the market and indeed hold prominent
positions in some markets. Industry consolidation has been seen in recent
years, with acquisitions providing a means of entry for the multinationals and
in the past few months, there has been clear evidence of the emergence of
branding policies taking an international bias, rather than a country by
country approach.
Zenith International reports offer you the most reliable market figures and
in-depth analysis of trends. This comes from a bottom up approach to the
research process, and detailed discussions undertaken with industry players
and industry suppliers.
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