FDBusiness.com

Harrogate Spring has become the number one bottled water brand in the UK’s £2.7 billion food service soft drinks category and the number eight soft drinks brand in the sector. Value growth of more than 20% last year, five times the overall category, has seen Harrogate Spring leapfrog soft drinks Lucozade and Oasis.

Sales and marketing director Rob Pickering says: “With a retail value of more than £48 million, we are the leading bottled water brand in food service. On current growth forecasts, we are on course to rise to number six in a list dominated by multi-national giants Coca Cola and Pepsi.”

Food service encompasses places where meals are served outside the home such as cafes, restaurants, hotels and visitor attractions, as well as business canteens and catering operations in hospitals and schools.

Rob Pickering believes effective branding, excellent customer service and strong environmental credentials are behind the food service success, with recent wins in restaurants and hotels where the company’s premium glass offering is also a key facet, playing a significant part. Harrogate is the fastest-growing glass brand.

“We are providing a quality premium brand – the official water of Royal Ascot – with strong consumer appeal and recognition, representing an excellent value proposition,” he says. “Investment in distinctive and distinguished bottle design has created a style that defines our heritage as the original British bottled water and we have combined this with service levels consistently at 100 per cent to build a trusted and desirable offering.”

He adds: “Environmental responsibility is at the heart of business decision making. We have been zero waste to landfill since 2010, we launched a plastic bottle recycling campaign in 2017 through a partnership with Keep Britain Tidy and, from May, our plastic bottles contain over 50 per cent recycled content, alongside the 50 per cent recycled content in glass.”

Harrogate Water is the largest independent family-owned producer of naturally-sourced bottled water in Britain and Harrogate Spring is the number one British premium bottled water brand.

Spring water in Harrogate was discovered in 1571 by Queen Elizabeth’s physician who recommended the water for its medicinal properties. The town became the first British Spa town and attracted wealthy European visitors, including members of the Russian royal family. Harrogate Spring was first bottled in 1740, making it the original bottled water.