Nestlé eyes UK in $100m European Aquarel launch

Nestlé is planning to introduce its new mineral water brand Aquarel into the UK as the company spends $100m ($67m) launching the product across Europe.

Aquarel is being positioned as the first pan-European water brand, sourced from several springs across the Continent (MW May 4).

A spokeswoman for Nestlé’s Perrier-Vittel unit in Paris says European marketing manager Ãâ°manuel Manichon is considering launching the drink in the UK.

Nestlé is rolling out Aquarel in Spain, Portugal, France, Luxembourg, Belgium and Germany, where a sparkling version is also available.

The medium-priced brand will then be marketed in other European countries over the next three years.

The spokeswoman confirms this could include the UK, which is a traditionally difficult market for mineral water companies, because of the high percentage of tea and coffee drinkers.

Lazaro Rivademar, general manager of Nestlé’s Belgian Perrier-Vittel unit, says: “We see Aquarel being the number one brand in Europe in ten years, with sales of 1.5 billion litres.”

A launch campaign for Aquarel, created by Publicis, broke at the beginning of the Euro 2000 football championships in host country Belgium, with the strapline “The Essence of Life”.

Nestlé also markets Perrier, Vittel and Pure Life, a new mineral water brand available in developing countries.