12% more US Point of Use Water Coolers in 12 months
The United States point of use water cooler market grew 12% to 500,000 units in the 12 months to July 2006, according to the 2006 US Point of Use Coolers report from leading beverage consultancy Zenith International. In this first in-depth study of the US market, Zenith reveals a US$156 million industry, with approaching 200 large and medium sized operators – a scale comparable to West Europe.
Also known as plumbed-in or mains-fed coolers, point of use (POU) systems purify and chill mains tap water, offering a continuous water supply. Activities across the US are primarily focused in commercial areas, representing 98% of all installations. Domestic usage is limited.
"Opportunities within the POU sector are significant, given the size of the bottled water cooler industry in the US and the level of development now reached by POU operators," commented Zenith Research Director Gary Roethenbaugh. "Set against a bottled water cooler market over twice the size of West Europe, the US penetration of POU is half the European level. Conversion of bottled water accounts to POU is expected to be considerable in years to come."
At a supply level, the market is dominated by Innowave, acquired by Waterlogic International in April 2006, and PHSI, which jointly account for the vast majority of units imported to the US for installation by distributors. At a distribution level, the market is highly fragmented. The leading distributors include POU specialists Macke Water Systems and Quench alongside bottled water cooler distributors Culligan and DS Waters of America.
"Like many high growth markets, the US POU industry is attracting large numbers of new operators and remains highly fragmented. By far the majority of companies offering POU are very small local players, operating within just one state or even city. For the larger operators, the pressure is on to reach critical mass through organic growth and acquisitions," concluded Gary Roethenbaugh.
Zenith forecasts strong double digit growth up to 2009, taking the total number of units to 740,000 and a 13% share of the overall cooler market.
The 2006 Zenith Report on US Point of Use Coolers contains 123 pages including over 150 company profiles, full company rankings, 10 market overview tables and a detailed market commentary. Contact Zenith International on tel +44 (0)1225 327900 or e-mail info@zenithinternational.com.
For further information, please contact:
Gary Roethenbaugh or Stuart Foxon, Zenith International Ltd
7 Kingsmead Square w Bath BA1 2AB w United Kingdom
t +44 (0)1225 327900 w f +44 (0)1225 327901
zenithinternational.com