US water cooler market nears 7 million units
The US water cooler market has expanded to nearly 7 million units installed at the end of 2015, according to a new report from the sector’s leading specialist consultancy, Zenith International. This marks the sixth year of consecutive growth in US cooler sales, with volume up 5% on 2014.
The market remains dominated by bottled water coolers, taking a 78% share of total installations in 2015. The market for plumbed in point of use mains water coolers is still emerging, but enjoyed favourable growth once more in 2015, increasing 9% to 1.5 million units. This growth has been driven, in part, by its positioning as a more environmentally friendly and low maintenance alternative to bottled water coolers. In 2015, the segment represented a 22% share of total placements, up from 16% in 2010.
In terms of distribution, there has been a consistent move away from home-and-office delivery over the past 5 years, with rising sales in the retail and online channels. As bottled water coolers are easier to purchase and set up than mains water coolers, the trend is more visible in this segment, with home-and-office delivery representing 82% of bottled water cooler sales in 2015, down from 91% in 2010.
“Fuelled by gradual economic recovery, environmental concerns, healthier hydration interest and convenience, the water cooler market continued to expand in 2015,” commented Zenith Market Intelligence Director Esther Renfrew. “Mains water coolers are expected to grow by high single digit rates to approach 30% of the market in the next 5 years. Placements of bottled water coolers are also forecast to increase, albeit at a slower pace,” Esther Renfrew concluded.
Zenith forecasts that the total cooler market will surpass 8 million units by 2020. This marks an increase of 16% on the current level and a projected overall annual growth rate of around 3%.
The 2016 Zenith Report on US POU and Bottled Water Coolers contains over 90 pages of market commentary, charts and tables together with company profiles. New to 2016, the report includes analysis of the main distribution channels. Contact Zenith International on +44 (0)1225 327900 or e-mail info@zenithinternational.com.
Notes for Editors
- Two charts are attached for publication: US Water Coolers 2010-20, US Water Cooler Segments 2015-20
- Point of use mains water coolers are plumbed in to mains water supplies
- For further information, please contact:
Monika Fedor, Zenith International Ltd
7 Kingsmead Square, Bath BA1 2AB, United Kingdom
t +44 (0)1225 327900, f +44 (0)1225 327901