Bottled Water in Spain

2020 IMPACT

Shift to at-home consumption boosts retail sales

On-trade consumption of bottled water has fallen abruptly in 2020 as a result of the closure of bars, cafés and restaurants during lockdown and the fact that outlets were forced to operate at limited capacity when reopened in order to maintain social distancing. The collapse of international tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic has also had a marked impact on on-trade sales of bottled water, as inbound tourists represent a key consumer group for businesses in many parts of Spain.

Demand shift hits functional bottled water, while carbonated bottled water grows in popularity

Functional bottled water was amongst the product areas to be hit hard by the decline in on-the-go consumption resulting from restrictions on consumers’ movement outside their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, manufacturers launched new bottled water products targeting at-home demand, including Aguas Danone’s carbonated natural mineral water brand, Fonter’s introduction of a medium carbonated water promoted primarily to be mixed with other drinks.

Brands invest in online development and sustainability

Aiming to target the rise in at-home consumption and the growing consumer interest in e-commerce, many bottled water players, including Vichy Catalan and market-leader, Aguas Danone, have invested in the development of online sales through their websites or through partnerships to enable home delivery through apps. As a result of the increase in online sales and the consumer desire to stock up on essentials, the bulk format, and particularly 5-8 litre bottles, has seen strong growth during 2020, while sales in on-the-go formats have fallen close to zero.

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