Bottled Water in Romania

PROSPECTS

Still bottled water continues to grow faster than carbonated water

Consumer behaviour has been changing in recent years, with still bottled water first overtaking carbonated bottled water’s off-trade volume sales, and, since then, continuing to advance at a much faster pace year on year in terms of volume sales. One reason is the ongoing migration of the population to urban areas, where water is not potable, not because of its quality, but because of old rusty infrastructure, and increasing awareness of consumers of what they are purchasing.

Private label and functional water making their presence felt

Private label overcame the stereotype of cheap products, especially in bottled water. This can be seen in its growing volume and value shares in overall sales, and with a significant impact in both still and carbonated purified bottled water.

Soft drivers boosting volumes

The expansion of modern retailing has helped bottled water availability to increase, both in urban and rural areas. Media adverts concerning the recommended volume of water to be consumed daily as well as information about water coming from wells and through some old infrastructure being unsafe have helped raise the awareness of consumers with regard to bottled water.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Romaqua Holding SA continues to lead

Soft drinks in Romania tends to be dominated by major international players, which secured their positions in the post-communism period with the liberalisation of imports. However, bottled water is a category that does not follow this rule, as it is dominated by local companies.

Carpathian Springs SA setting new trends in bottled water

Carpathian Springs is the national brand owner of Aqua Carpatica, a relatively new name in bottled water. Although Aqua Carpatica does not have a 200-year history like its main competitor, it focuses on bringing novelty to a very flat category.

Coca-Cola HBC falling behind in water

Coca-Cola HBC is present in both carbonated and still bottled water with two brands: Dorna and Poiana Negri, covering both the standard and economy price segments. Being an industrial producer with a well-established distribution and storage system gives the company a very important advantage for a product as indispensable as water, enabling it to meet strong demand.

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