4 July 2006
Highland Spring, the UK’s leading producer of natural mineral water, is reporting its best June on record, putting it well on track for an unprecedented summer sales performance.
The UK’s recent hot June weather, combined with Highland Spring’s distribution gains and extensive product range contributed to total sales of 23,600,000 litres for the brand during June, up 16 per cent on the same period last year.
The fastest growing brand in the UK bottled water market, Highland Spring’s performance in the take home market is up over 32 per cent for the four weeks to 17 June (Source: AC Nielsen).
A proportion of this growth is coming from an increase in demand for sugar free alternatives to fizzy drinks in the fight against obesity among parents of school age children. Highland Spring Natural Mineral Water for Kids is now the No 1 kids’ water brand in the UK, with 30 per cent brand share. The kids’ water sector is growing at 34% per cent and now represents over 13 million litres per annum.
The company has further increased its dominance of the sparkling sector, growing almost 21 per cent in the 4 weeks to 17 June to achieve 17 per cent brand share of the sparkling sector. Highland Spring now outsells its nearest rival, San Pellegrino, by nearly three to one.
Sally Stanley, marketing director for Highland Spring said: “Our bottling plant in Perthshire is operating 24/7 to meet the demand for Highland Spring this summer and the current heatwave has driven sales even higher than expected in June and into early July. We’re well on track for our best summer ever.”
As the Met Office issues further warnings of heatwave conditions across the south east, this month (July) Highland Spring is ensuring many consumers in London remain hydrated by distributing more than 50,000 complimentary bottles in parks across the capital, including Golden Square, Soho Square and Broadgate Fulcram. This sampling initiative called ‘Pure Scotland’ is in association with VisitScotland and represents the fourth year of joint marketing activity between these two marketing organisations.
New research from Highland Spring reveals only 13 per cent of adults and kids drink the recommended eight glasses of water a day, while 87 per cent of children don’t drink enough water (NOP May 2006).
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Notes to Editors
Hydration tips for the hot weather:
1. Most importantly, stay hydrated- this means sipping water regularly, particularly if you are in the sun. Think of water as internal sun cream! Your skin is breathing all the time and losing moisture in hot conditions, so keeping hydrated is essential and don’t stay out in the sun during the hottest times of day if you can avoid it.
2. Remember that if you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated, so keep sipping water during this hot spell to avoid dehydration and if you are taking part in active sports, then your body’s need for water will increase significantly.
3. When we sweat, we lose minerals as well as moisture and it’s the mineral deficiency that makes us crave for salty nibbles when we are thirsty. Sipping a natural mineral water can help keep the nibbles at bay.
4. If you are at home, you can chill your glasses in the fridge for an extra cool glass of water or make ice cubes from your bottled water and liven them up a little by adding shreds of fresh mint or slices of lemon or lime before you freeze them.
5. Remember to take plenty of bottled water when you are travelling or driving. Some doctors agree that dehydration is a major contributor to “road rage” incidents, which often coincide with hot weather. So, travel with bottles of water for you and your passengers, but remember not to drink your own water when you are doing the driving!
6. If you’re stuck in a sweltering office with only a wonky old fan for comfort, a good idea is to freeze some small bottles of water overnight, then next day place these directly in front of the fan’s air stream. This will cool and moisten the air stream and then you can refresh yourself by drinking the water when it has thawed.
? The World Heath Organisation recommends that, as adults lose on average 2.5 litres of water a day, they should consume 1.8 litres of water a day under normal conditions. The balance of our water needs is derived from the fruits, vegetables and other foods in our diet.
? The unique mineral analysis of Highland Spring as detailed on the analysis panel of every bottle shows that Highland Spring is low in mineral salts and suitable for those on a low sodium diet.
? Symptoms of dehydration may include thirst, dizziness and feeling weak and faint.
Issued by:
Debbie Donne
3x1 Public Relations
T: 0141 221 0707
E: ddonne@3x1.com