Irish bottled water company Celtic Pure secured a deal with 3663, one of the largest food distribution companies in Britain. Part of the Bidvest Group, 3663 has more than 60,000 customers in the UK.

The listing will be worth about Eur2 million to Celtic Pure over three years. Based in CountyMonaghan, Celtic Pure employs 40 people and expects to sell an estimated 35,000 million bottles of water in 2012.

Nestle Waters has started production at its new £35 million state-of-the-art factory at Waterswallows in Buxton, Derbyshire, England. Bottling the Buxton Natural Mineral Water and Nestle Pure Life brands, the new factory is one ofEurope’s most innovative and efficient bottling facilities. It is the culmination of many years of research and development and for the first time, combines the bottling facility with warehousing capability with the new lines allowing Nestle Waters UK to significantly reduce its total energy output, as well as the packaging used in its bottles.

Nestle is a big employer in the area and the local community was kept in mind when tendering for the new factory. The construction company was tasked with sourcing both procurement and labour from a tight circumference of the building site, ensuring contractors and materials would not have far to travel and more importantly adding a boost for the local community and employment. By the end of February 67% of the labour on site was from within the area and 76% of the materials had been purchased within a 50-mile radius.

The new facility has also given Nestle Waters the opportunity to promote sustainable development practices and the factory is striving to achieve an ‘excellent’ grading in its BREEAM Certification later this year. This certification takes into consideration the site’s energy and water use as well as its transport infrastructure and its ecology.

Paolo Sangiorgi, managing director of Nestle Waters UK, says: “I am delighted to see the first bottles of Buxton Natural Mineral Water and Nestle Pure Life come off the lines less than 12 months after we started building our new factory. Waterswallows has enabled us to pursue our ambition to promote sustainable development practices in both the construction and production processes operated there.”

In keeping with the local environment, the factory has been designed to harmonise with its beautiful surroundings and features classic recycled Derbyshire dry stone walls, which are used to reinstate field patterns and define site boundaries. An attractive, wave-shaped roof enhances the buildings’ visual appeal and a sustainable drainage system manages the rain water that runs off from the new site. A heat recovery system also transfers heat generated from the bottling lines to provide heat to the warehouse and offices has also been introduced which significantly reduces additional heating requirements and reduces carbon output.

The site will enable Nestle Waters to continue to decrease the amount of water used in its manufacturing and by the end of 2012 it will also be zero waste to landfill.

Start of production also saw the launch of an innovative lightweight range of bottles. These new bottles are the lightest bottled water bottles produced in the UK and have a shorter neck and a sturdy, ergonomical shape that requires less plastic and fits comfortably in the hand. Through their redesign Nestle Waters has achieved an average 25% reduction in the use of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) in their production with a 46% reduction in PET for the smaller 25cl and 33cl bottles.

Innovation in production continues with the launch of a new sports cap that includes a tamper evident seal that stays within the lid when opened. The new sports cap will be available on the Buxton Natural Mineral Water 25cl, 75cl and 1 ltr formats and the Nestle Pure Life 33cl formats.

Danone Research and Avantium have entered into a joint development agreement for the development of PEF bottles for Danone, the world’s second biggest bottled water business. The agreement forms another cornerstone of Avantium’s commercialisation strategy to further co-develop the YXY technology for producing PEF bottles. The agreement with Danone marks the second major partnership for Avantium’s YXY technology to produce PEF bottles.

“The agreement with Danone Research is a fantastic step forward on our path to commercialize PEF bottles,” says Avantium’s chief executive Tom van Aken. “Danone Research is at the forefront in contributing to the development of next generation bio-based plastic bottle. Our YXY solution for the packaging industry creates a new bio-sourced material delivering superior functional properties versus conventional PET technology (for example light weighting potential, barrier and thermal properties). We believe that the process economics and carbon footprint of PEF make it a suitable PET alternative. A recent study done by the Copernic Institute, showed that PEF has a 50-60% lower carbon footprint than oil-based PET. Finalizing the LCA study is part of the Joint Development Agreement. Avantium is currently validating the use of existing supply and recycling chains, enabling a full transition to bio-based PEF bottles in three to five years from now.”

Based on the YXY technology, the Avantium and Danone Research joint objective is to contribute to the emergence of a new renewable material generation which will not be in direct competition with food. YXY is used as a fast and efficient chemical-catalytic technology to convert carbohydrates produced from plants, grains, energy crops, lignocellulosic matter, waste streams, waste paper or agricultural residues, into a wide variety of bio-based polymers. Based on ongoing R&D programs, Avantium will also continue to develop PEF from renewable feedstock not competing with food.

Avantium has recently opened its pilot plant in Geleen, the Netherlands, with the capacity of producing 40 tons of PEF for application development. The collaborations with Danone and The Coca-Cola Company are key to secure a smooth transition into the mass production phase of PEF bottles. Avantium is in active discussion with other leading brand owners to develop PEF bottles, fibers and film. In the longer term Avantium will license its YXY technology to enable large scale, world-wide production and use of its bio-sourced plastic materials.

Helped by the acquisition of Greencore’s bottled water business in March 2010, Highland Spring increased turnover by 26% to £69.3 million and operating profit by 6% to £4.6 million for 2010. However, Highland Spring’s net profit for 2010 dropped 34% to £2.7 million.

Based at Blackford, Perthsire in Scotland and owned by the Dubai-based Al Tajir family, Highland Spring is one of the UK’s largest bottled water companies, producing more than 350 million litres annually.

“We were delighted to achieve such a significant increase in turnover and given the current economic climate and the impact of exceptional increases in packaging, energy and fuel, we were equally pleased to achieve an increase in profits,” says Les Montgomery, chief executive of Highland Spring. “As bottled water specialists we embarked on a strategic programme to increase our scale within the market substantially to help us fulfill our vision to be a £100m turnover and 500 million litre business. Our 2010 results demonstrate that the strategy is paying off as we record our strongest ever financial performance.”

Highland Spring was able to retain its number two position in the UK still water market in 2010, behind Evian, and its sparkling range increased sales by 7.8% to maintain its leadership position. Turnover is expected to exceed £80 million in the current year.

Overall volume sales in the UK bottled water market grew by 0.7% in 2010 to 2,055 million litres. Zenith International’s 2011 Report on UK Bottled Water also shows retail sizes under 10 litres, which accounted for 83% of the total, achieved 2.4% growth.

In contrast, the bottled cooler market declined by 8.3%, due to ongoing challenging economic conditions and continued loss of business to plumbed-in water coolers, also known as point of use machines.

“There remain five key dynamics in the UK bottled water market at the moment and they are not all pointing in the same direction,” comments Richard Hall, chairman of Zenith. “We have always believed that the benefits of convenient healthy hydration create an underlying momentum towards long term growth. Against that, concerns have been raised about environmental impact, but these are progressively being answered. The economic downturn has been another adverse factor in the past three years, putting greater emphasis on value for money.

He continues: “The weather is also an important variable – very poor in both 2007 and 2008, but somewhat more favourable in 2009 and 2010. Finally, the water cooler segment has changed dramatically – from rapid growth in bottles to even higher consumption from point of use.”.

Amongst other findings of the 2011 Zenith report were:

* Still water was responsible for 86% of 2010 volume and sparkling water 14%.

* Natural mineral water took a 61% share, spring water 28%, purified water 2% and other waters 9%.

* Locally produced waters accounted for 76% and imported waters 24%.

* Bottled water coolers have fallen to 14% of consumption, compared with 21% in 2004.

* Packaged retail volumes are 4% higher than five years ago.

* The most popular retail pack size is 50cl, followed by 2 litre and 1.5 litre.

* The top five retail brands by volume are Evian, Highland Spring, Volvic, Buxton and Aqua-Pura.

Zenith’s forecasts anticipate continuing moderate overall growth, taking sales up a further 14% to 2,340 million litres by 2015.

For further information on the 2011 Zenith Report on UK Bottled Water call Zenith International on +44 (0)1225 327900.

Nestle Waters is expanding its portfolio of bottled water to include high quality iced teas, lemonades and juices through acquisition. Nestle Waters North America is acquiring the Sweet Leaf Tea Company, including its Sweet Leaf and Tradewinds beverage brands. The acquisition – which remains subject to regulatory approval and satisfaction of other customary closing conditions – follows an initial investment by Nestle Waters in the Sweet Leaf brand in March 2009.

Founded in 1998, the Sweet Leaf Tea Company, which is based in Austin, Texas, is known for its high quality teas and creative consumer communications. Sweet Leaf naturally sweetened products are made with pure cane sugar and premium tea leaves and have been certified organic by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The Tradewinds brand, founded in 1993, offers authentic, all-natural, brewed iced teas and tropical fruit juice drinks. With combined sales totalling more than $53m in 2010, the two brands’ growth will continue to be managed by the Sweet Leaf Tea Company’s existing staff.

The acquisition will bring Nestle Waters’ increased capabilities to Sweet Leaf Tea Company’s operations, allowing it to make Sweet Leaf and Tradewinds beverages available to more people across the US.

Nestle Waters North America is the leading bottled water company in the US, with sales topping $4b in 2010. In the US, the company produces six regional spring water brands; one nationally distributed purified bottled water named Nestle Pure Life; and three international bottled water brands. Worldwide, Nestle Waters has 64 brands, and operates 97 factories in 36 countries.

Germany-based Eckes-Granini Group, one of the leading branded fruit juice producers in Europe, and KMV (Karlovarske Mineralni Vody), the leading bottled water supplier in the Czech market, have formed a strategic partnership. KMV has become the exclusive marketer of Eckes-Granini Group’s granini and YO brands in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

“This strategic partnership is yet another step forward in keeping with our international expansion policy,” points out Thomas Hinderer, president and chief executive of the Eckes-Granini Group. “The Czech Republic and Slovakia are attractive European markets which offer additional potential for the granini and YO brands, both of which are already familiar to consumers in the region.”

Equal emphasis will be placed on expanding distribution in the retail trade and establishing a firm foothold in the out-of-home sector. The granini portfolio for the retail trade in the Czech Republic and Slovakia encompasses a variety of juices and nectars in 1.0-litre PET bottles, while the 0.2-litre returnable bottle is offered in the out-of-home sector. YO premium syrups are available in retail stores in 0.7-litre PET bottles with an anti-spill cap. Both conventional advertising campaigns and extensive below-the-line activities are planned in support of brand development.

Nestle Waters UK has teamed up with world famous Italian fashion house Missoni to design a limited edition bottle for the S Pellegrino water brand. It is the first pack collaboration between the two iconic Italian super brands and the first time Missoni’s name will appear on UK supermarket shelves.

The house of Missoni and S Pellegrino have a long history of working together within Italy as both brands share similar values.

The Missoni bottle will be available for a limited time only and is the first design to form part of S Pellegrino’s new, ‘Italian Talents’ project. The project will see the S Pellegrino bottle entrusted to designers and given a fresh look before appearing on the tables of top restaurants around the globe.

S Pellegrino is the number one premium sparkling water in the UK market, and has been one of the very few brands to grow both in volume and value for the last two years in an otherwise declining market at +8.3% in value and 7.6% by volume. In the total bottled water market S Pellegrino has a 2.1% share and in the sparkling category, S Pellegrino has a 20% share.

Nestle Waters is the world’s number one bottled water company. Nestle Waters UK, the UK division of Nestle Waters, is one of the largest bottled water suppliers and is a category leader in the UK. There are six individual brands in its UK portfolio; Buxton, Nestle Pure Life, Vittel, Perrier, S Pellegrino and Acqua Panna.