Common sense prevails: why pay three times the price for the same water?
Sales of bottled water in France, the largest market in the world, fell 2.6 pct this year, in line with the decline seen in 2005.
The high prices of premium brands like Evian and Volvic, owned by Danone, or Vittel and San Pellegrino, owned by Nestle, has prompted a switch to normal tapwater.
In the past year, municipal water companies launched advertising campaigns promoting the safety and health benefits of tapwater, arguing that its composition is often very similar to bottled water that costs 100 to 300 times more.
Makers of bottled water responded to the drop in sales by increasing their prices even further. Strange way to beat the competition…
The water we drink here in Grenoble is pure spring water, naturally filtered through alluvial deposits…and untreated, unlike water in the rest of France. It tastes wonderful!
As for the price increase…I’ve noticed that the more expensive something is, the more the French seem to take it seriously…so perhaps this was a good strategy?
Bonne Année!