Renewed optimism in the West Europe water cooler market
The West European water cooler market stood at 2.69 million units at the end of 2010, according to new research from leading drinks consultancy Zenith International. After a challenging couple of years, hampered by the global economic downturn, companies in a number of countries are reporting revived interest from households as well as businesses.　
The number of plumbed-in mains water coolers (point of use) units surged by 8% in 2010, topping the 1 million mark and taking their share of the total to 38%. These gains, however, were insufficient to offset bottled water cooler losses, resulting in an overall 0.3% decline.
"The industry is in a much better position than a year ago" commented Zenith Senior Market Analyst Charmaine Holmes. "The difficult economic climate forced companies to improve efficiencies and returns. Losses have now slowed".
The United Kingdom remains the leading national market within West Europe, followed by Italy. Together they hold a 40% share. 2010 saw distinct variations in performance across the region: with Austria, Italy and Belgium the strongest performers; whilst Greece, Ireland and Spain suffered the largest declines.
"Industry associations are now firmly embracing the notion of ‘one industry, two solutions’, reflecting the movement towards the dual offering of both bottled water coolers and point of use (POU), particularly in the North and West of the region," added Charmaine Holmes.
Looking to the future, Zenith forecasts that, during the next five years, nearly 500,000 extra coolers will be installed across West Europe, taking the combined installed base to around 3.2 million in 2015, with the share of POU expected to surpass 45%.
In response to client requests, a full UK country profile has been included for the first time, instead of being issued as a separate report. This brings the number of countries profiled to 16.
The 2011 Zenith Report on West Europe Coolers contains over 650 pages of market commentary, charts and tables together with company profiles. Contact Zenith International on tel +44 (0)1225 327900, fax +44 (0)1225 327901 or e-mail info@zenithinternational.com
Notes for Editors
1. Two charts are attached for publication.
http://www.zenithinternational.com/assets/images/pressreleases/2011_WEC_Chart1.tif
http://www.zenithinternational.com/assets/images/pressreleases/2011_WEC_Chart2.tif
2. For further information, please contact:
Charmaine Holmes, Zenith International Ltd
7 Kingsmead Square
Bath BA1 2AB, United Kingdom
t +44 (0)1225 327900
f +44 (0)1225 327901
zenithinternational.com