Industry rounds on design of Britvic premium water

Britvic is facing criticism over the packaging of its new premium bottled water Drench, which is aimed at the youth market and launches next year (MW September 29).

Industry insiders claim the 500ml bottle shape looks dated and that the word Drench is written so big that when placed on supermarket shelves, consumers would only be able to read “ench” or “Dre”.

One source says: “The packaging looks naff and yet they’ve positioned it among high-priced waters such as Evian. A dirty-looking transparent shrink-wrap label makes the water look slightly mouldy and musty. A bottled water should be boasting its clear, pure credentials.”

Another source adds: “The bottle shape is too plain, shaped like a wine bottle and doesn’t have the look of a premium water. There is no thought of grip like the squeezy grip or the ridges on an Evian bottle (pictured). If you add to that the fact that it is a spring water rather than a mineral water then you have to wonder if a retail price of 59p is too much.”

A retail source says: “If Britvic have correctly identified young people as a gap in the water market then Drench could work, but I did expect it to be a cooler looking package. It seems rather basic.”