Vittel has waded into the flavoured water market with two variants that will compete directly with Volvic’s Touch of Fruit range.
A raspberry and a lemon flavour have been created, which Vittel predicts will add £10m to the flavoured water category in its first year.
It is the first new product launch under the Vittel brand in the UK since Vittel+Energy in 2002.
The still drinks are sugar free and have been developed to be less sweet than Vittel’s competitors so that they are as refreshing as water, according to Stefano Agostini, MD of Nestlé Waters UK.
The packaging is similar to the standard Vittel range in
order to “communicate the purity” of the brand, he said.
“We are focused on creating water with flavour, not flavour with water. We are not moving away from water,” Agostini added. The new products are being targeted at adults, the main purchasers of the Vittel brand, who Agostini said were increasingly demanding more healthy products. Vittel said it intended to add further flavours to the range in the future to further grow the category.
“In flavoured waters you need to be prepared to launch new ideas. Consumers need something new and we are certainly prepared to innovate the category in the future, to add or replace flavours to give something new,” said Agostini.
The drinks come in 500ml (rsp: 65p) and in 1.5-litre bottles (rsp: 99p) to boost the take-home category. They will be launched into Asda this month, with listings in all other major retailers to follow over the next two to three weeks.
A national television campaign throughout June and July, as well as sampling activity, will support the launch.
Stefan Chomka