PROJECT REPORT

ON

To study the Indian packaged water industry with focus

on
BISLERI
Submitted To: -

Submitted By:

Dr. Vandana deswal

Rohan Srivastav
05021201713
BBA (G) 2nd Shift 6th Sem

In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the award of Degree of

Bachelor of Business Administration

Maharaja Surajmal Institute

Affiliated To:Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First of all I am deeply indebted to Department of Management,
Maharaja Surajmal Institute, Janakpuri , New Delhi for allowing me
to complete my research study on
To study the Indian packaged water industry with focus on
BISLERI
It gives me immense pleasure to express my heartfelt gratitude to
my respected guide Dr Vandana Deswal (Assistant Professor) for
providing me articulate guidance and ceaseless encouragement
throughout study. I shall be failing in my duty if I do not
acknowledge the contribution of my family for their constructive
cooperation.

ROHAN SRIVASTAV
ROLL NO. 05021201713
BBA (GEN) 6th SEM

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the research work entitled To study the

Indian packaged water industry with focus on BISLERI has been
undertaken by Dr Vandana Deswal under my supervision in the
partial fulfillment of requirement of the graduate course (BBA). The
research work is candidates original work & this project report has
not been submitted to any other university for any course.
This is also certified that Rohan Srivastav is the student of BBA 3rd
year in Maharaja Surajmal Institute, Janakpuri (Affiliated to
GGSIPU University).

Project Guide:
Dr Vandana Deswal

CONTENTS
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Sample Size
Analysis
INTRODUCTION
To the domestic packaged drinking water market
MARKET SHARE
COMPANY PROFILE OF BISLERI
Background
The Present
Future Plans
Technology Developments
Purification Process
Product & Packaging

BOTTLED WATER ANALYSIS

WHY BISLERI?
EXCERPTS
And this is how Parle Bisleri began

 THE JOURNEY TILL NOW

VISION AND MISSION

CURRENT PLAYERS

SWOT ANALYSIS

ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

Consumer Related
Retailer Related
RECOMMENDATION AND SUGGESTION
CONCLUSION
ANNEXURE
Consumers Questionnaire
Retailers Questionnaire
BIBLIOGRAPHY

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY:

To learn about the domestic packaged drinking water market, its
market distribution and Brand Bisleri in detail.
To find about consumers and retailers brand preference
To see whether there is a threat to the mineral water market from
water purifiers and soft drinks.
Whether the people of Delhi & its NCR and happy, paying for
water.
Whether the people of Delhi & its NCR are getting health
conscious.
To find the retailers view on the mineral water market and to
assess the future prospect of the market.
To find the potential of Mineral water market in Delhi & its NCR.
6

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:
Starting a research project needs a basic preparation regarding the
issues related to the topic selected. For this one needs to do some
deskwork. Deskwork includes:
1. Determining the basic objectives of the study undertaken.
2. Collection of secondary data related to the topic from Internet,
magazines & newspapers.
3. Study the market, which one wants to cover.
4. Analyze the objective on the basis of information collected by
secondary data.
5. All the above activities at the initial stage of the project must be
completed & then the main part follows.

Sample Size
Regions of Delhi & its NCR were covered for the study. I took 50
consumers and 10 retailers as my respondents. They were selected
by random sampling method because in this case systematic
sampling is not possible since one cannot say whether a person is
using mineral water or not.
Analysis
Then analysis of the questionnaire filled by the consumers & the
retailers is done on the percentage base analysis & theoretical base
analysis. On the bases of this analysis graphs were prepared showing
the relationship between two variables. The analysis formed the
bases of the inferences drawn and reaching the conclusion of the
study.

INTRODUCTION:
To the domestic packaged drinking water market
The concept of bottled mineral is quite a new one for Indian People.
Since we never consider these things as necessity and especially
when we are paying for natural resource like water which is
available freely.
The bottled water market has recently seen growth; the reason
behind this may be the growing health consciousness among Indians
or non-availability of pure drinking water. Most of the users are
daily travelers, patients or it is used in parties/seminars. Moreover
30% of the whole mineral water customers are travelers.
When governments spoke about providing drinking water to all,
little did one imagine that MNCs would package it and sell it to us.
The advent of the small bottles has increased consumption. Buying
water near the bus stop or at the railway station has become a
routine.
Indian water market has many companies selling water, on an whole
there are more than 300 big & small players in the market some of
the big players are Bisleri, Aquafina, Kinley, Purelife, Mcdowell
etc. these companies are dealing in same market, same price & also
same capacity. Bisleri is owned by Parle group, Aquafina is owned
by Pepsi, Kinley is owned by Coke, Nestle has Purelife. But some
small players also have sufficient market share in their local market,
like prime, silver drop, royal fresh are very popular in the congested
region.
Bisleri is most popular brand in North India. Bisleri is having big
contracts like with air Indian & some part of Indian railways.

10

Since the early 1990s, Indian attitude have changed and people are
flocking to the cities at a frenetic pace - one-third of Indian now live
in urban areas.
But in many parts of the country, quality of water is still a major
concern. Given the extreme climatic conditions in India, especially
the heat and dust, plus the fact people are now prone to dehydration
because they commute further for work and social activities, the
issues of safe drinking water is more prevalent than ever.
As the mercury soars, so do the sales of bottled water. The
advantage it has is unlike the Colas and other drinks dispensed from
vending machines, a bottle fits into a handbag and can be carried
conveniently.
The trend of using mineral water for drinking purpose started as a
means to take advantage of the therapeutic value of water. This trend
gained potential momentum during 1970s and ever since bottled
water was exported every year from mineral springs in France and
other European countries.
In western countries,the practice of bottled drinking water started
during 1950s. The first launch of bottled water in India was the
launch of Bisleri of Parle company during 1968-69 which was a
major flop as the Indian population was not prepared to accept
the concept of purchasing water. The market of bottled water
remained weak and inactive for as long as 20 years. The relaunch of
Bisleri in 1994, however, was a success due to the growing
awareness and high consciousness of health and hygiene among
people.
Today many medical stores in the city are doing very well with the
sale of branded bottled water. The brand name plays an impression
on the human mind. Bottled water is available in quantities of
330ml, 500ml, 1lt, 1.5lt, 2lts, 5lts, 10lts, 20lts and 50lts.

11

For a particular brand to be certified as bottled water it requires approval on 4 levels

namely the Central, the state, the trade association, and individual company levels.

ILL EFFECTS OF DRINKING UNTREATED WATER

Typhoid
Bone deformation
Joint pain
Hardening of arteries and muscles
Gastro stomach upsets
Excess content of fluoride can lead to flourisis
Arsenic Poisoning

COMMONLY FOUND WATER CONTAMINATION

SOURCES
Contaminated storage Tanks
Cross contamination at sources
Leaks in distribution network
Improper functioning of Purifiers
Domestic Waste
Borewell or contaminated ground water
Organic matters
12

Industrial waste

DISTRIBUTION NETWORK OF BISLERI

And this is how Parle Bisleri began

13

According to the Bureau of Indian Standards there are 1,200 bottled

water factories all over India (of which 600 are in one state -- Tamil
Nadu). Over 100 brands are vying for the Rs 1,000-crore (Rs 10
billion) bottled water market and are hard selling their products in
every way possible -- better margins to dealers, aggressive
advertising, catchy taglines.... In such a scenario, The Strategist
takes a look at how it all started -- with Bisleri -- and how Ramesh
Chauhan, chairman, Parle Bisleri created a market out of pure
water.
Bisleri mineral water was bought from the Italian company, Felice
Bisleri, in 1969 -- the company had been unable to market bottled
water and wanted to exit the market -- Parle too did not see any
potential for the product at that time.
As a soft drinks company, Parle had Thums Up, Gold Spot and
Limca (cola, orange drink and lemonade) but no soft drink company
was complete without a soda. So they merely used the name and
launched Bisleri soda with two variants -- carbonated and noncarbonated mineral water.
But three decades ago, what could they say about a category that
had no market? They didn't know our target group. Then, since
bottled water is colourless, tasteless and odourless, it was not an
easy product to advertise.
Thus, the earlier brand building efforts focused on Bisleri being
healthy with adequate minerals. The Italian name added a dash of
class to it. The first print ad campaign captured the international
essence and showed a butler with a bow tie, holding two bottles of
Bisleri.
The punchline was, "Bisleri is veri veri extraordinari" (the
spelling of the punchline was designed to capture the consumer's
attention). The campaign was successful and we were being noticed
as someone who catered to the need for safe, healthy drinking water.

14

However, the real boost to mineral water came in the early-to-mid1980s when they switched to PVC packaging and later to PET
bottles. The PET packaging did not just ensure better transparency -they could now show sparkling clear water to the consumers. It also
meant better life for the water.
Meanwhile, Bisleri soda was doing well but they had to discontinue
production as they sold their soft drink brands to Coca-Cola in 1993.
But Ramesh Chauhans interest was in building brands and not in
bottling soft drinks. That's when he started to concentrate on
developing the Bisleri water brand.
There was a clear opportunity of building a market for bottled water.
The quality of water available in the country was bad. It was similar
to what Europe faced before World War II. The quality of water in
Europe was extremely poor, which created the bottled water industry
there. In India, too, not only was water scarce, whatever was
available was of bad quality.
Initially, though bottled water was something only foreigners
and non-resident Indians consumed, they still had to increase the
distribution, which meant the dealer margins reduced. And because
of limited sales, the dealer margin had to be kept high to compensate
low sales. Now they had to push sales.
Hence, they introduced free sampling of Bisleri at the tables where
the elderly guests would sit. Soon customers were ordering bottled
water on special occasions. Currently, the consumption of bottled
water is far in excess of soft drinks on such occasions.
The other major challenge was distribution. Soft drink sales are in
glass bottles and the distribution model is built around picking up
empty bottles and getting them back to the factory. That's not the
case with the retail bottled water packs (below 2 litre). But a product
that's not available where it's needed, is useless.
The number of outlets where Bisleri is available has increased from 50,000 in 1995 to
2,50,000 at present. But that is not enough -- they need to keep looking for different
avenues. Take stationery shops and chemists, for instance. They don't keep soft drinks but
15

sell Bisleri. That is the kind of exclusivity we look for to get ahead of the distribution
network that soft drink companies talk of.

MARKET SHARE:
Currently, Bisleri continues to lead in the Rs 700-1,000 crore
organised, packaged water market with an estimated 40 per cent
market share, followed by Kinley at 28 per cent and Aquafina with
an 11 per cent share. In terms of volumes, the North and West
remain Bisleri's biggest performing markets, despite the brand's
sustained national-level presence. The market has been growing for
the last three years at an unimaginable rate of 80%. The market size
of bottled water is expected to surpass the size of soft drinks market
very soon in the near future.

Aquafina
11%

Others
21%

Others
Bislery
Kinley

Kinley
28%

Aquafina

Bislery
40%

Individual Market Shares:

BISLERI-40%, KINLEY-28%, AQUAFINA-11%, OTHERS21%

16

Some of the specifications as per the latest notification

(which were effective from April 01).
The location of packaging should be close to the source or place
of origin of water.
Only water obtained directly from natural or drilled underground
sources can be sold as mineral water.
For water to be called mineral water it should also not be subject
to any chemical treatments.
For water to be categorized as packaged bottle water, it can be
sourced from any places.
The water has to be treated and disinfected in accordance with
specifications for it to be categorized as packaged bottle water.
Till December 2000 only six players have applied for license for
packaged drinking water and no company has applied for license
in mineral water category. But around 16 applications in
packaged water category and 6 applications in the mineral water
category are still in the pipeline.
The new regulations also prohibit any claims relating to
beneficial properties of the product and the immediate casualty
will be Coca-Cola with its FFPAI endorsement. Furthermore in a
bit to provide standards for both drinking water and mineral water
and to regulate the quality and price of bottled water, BIS
approval was made mandatory from the end of 1999.
However the BIS does not lay down any guidelines or practices
for processing water and there is no specific industrial licensing
policy for the bottled-water sector. So in effect anyone can set up
a plant without establishing the source of the water and the
technology used to purify it.
Till recently India was not a potential consumer for packaged water
hence the prospects are now huge. But with regulations somewhat
17

confusing and contradictory it is likely to be a while before the

manufacturers are able to realize their full market potential in a
country, which is fast becoming one of the principal global markets
in bottle water.

COMPANY PROFILE OF BISLERI:

:: Background
In 1967, Bisleri an Italian company, started by Signor Felice Bisleri,
first brought the idea of selling bottled water in India. It started a
company called Bisleri India. In 1969, Ramesh Chauhan, the
Chairman of Parle Exports, bought over the brand. In those days,
Bisleri packaged drinking water was available in glass bottles.
Being a returnable package owing to various other problems such as
breakage and weight, in 1972-73, Bisleri was made available in
PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) bottles. After this plastic packaging was
introduced, things started to change, and sales increased rapidly.
The upsurge in the sales of Bisleri started in 1993 as Ramesh
Chauhan sold off the Parle stable of brands, including Thums Up,
Limca and Gold Spot. Recognising the potential of the packaged
drinking water market, he then went on to concentrate on making
Bisleri a top selling brand in India.

:: The Present
It was around the year 1995, when Parle Exports took charge of the
brand operations and the business took off in the market. With
factories across India and a strong distribution network, Bisleri
established itself as a force to reckon with in the domestic packaged
drinking water market.
18

Earlier the packaged drinking water market consisted of five star

hotels, tourists and foreigners. As a marketing strategy, a conscious
decision was taken by the company that only 40% of the sales
should come from these outlets and 60% from general market. i.e.
paanwallas, street shops, general stores and even non-tourists.
This brought about a sea change in the perception in the consumer's
mind about consumption of Bisleri. Earlier, drinking bottled water
was considered to be more of a status symbol. That thinking has
slowly changed to the point where today, not drinking Bisleri is
considered as being behind the times. Such has been the presence
and penetration of the Bisleri brand in the bottled water segment.
About few years ago, in 1998, a strategy was adopted to concentrate
aggressively on the home market. The habit of boiling water or
using electronic gadgets was not adequate, since the source of water
itself was unreliable. The bulk packages like the 2, 5 and 20 litre
bottles were introduced to meet this market need. The price per litre
went down as a result, making bottled water very economical for the
consumer.

:: Future Plans
Bisleri was the first to market bottled water in a totally virgin market
and naturally people associate the brand with bottled water. Now
Bisleri is perhaps already ten steps ahead of its competitors and will
endeavour to widen its gap in the times to come.
Bisleri's brand positioning stresses on pure, clean and safe drinking
water.
Some of the future plans to maintain the top spot that Bisleri
commands in the Indian market are:
New pack sizes in bottles and cups
19

Increase the distribution network with an investment of over

200 crores

Strengthen presence in traditionally weak areas by setting up

12 new bottling facilities at a cost of Rs. 150 crores

:: Technology Developments
To make sure that the product that reaches the consumer is always of
highest standard and also meets international standards, Bisleri has
always been involved in improving its product packaging. One such
recent development is the tamper proof break away seal. Bisleri
also recognises the need to produce environment friendly products
and is working on the PET project.
The break away seal:
Keeping in mind the consumer's need to recognise a genuine product
that cannot be tampered with, Bisleri developed the break away seal.
The unique cap has been patented and cannot be duplicated or
tampered with. This technology development in the product ensures
that the consumer will only get a highly safe product when they
consume Bisleri packaged drinking water.
Product packaging:
To ensure purity of the bottled water, the bottles that are used are
blown and filled at the factory itself, to avoid contamination.

The PET Recycling Project:

Bisleri is extremely conscious of environmental issues, since PET
bottles are not biodegradable and not easy to dispose. The company
20

is currently working on the PET recycling project, where they will

collect bottles from various places, crush and shred them. This
shredded material will then be made into ropes , PET containers for
the non-food industry and other PET items like polyester fibre,
flower vase, gift items etc.

WHY BISLERI?
Bisleri is totally safe & protects you from all water borne
diseases.
Bisleri is trusted by 50 lakhs households across the country.
Bisleri is the brand leader in bottled water category.
The water is purified through six stages of purification process that
includes reverse osmosis and Ozonation.

Why Bisleri is pure?

At BISLERI plants , water undergoes multi stage purification
process to ensure proper blend of minerals and complete removal of
microorganisms and toxic substances. So a habit of drinking PURE
and SAFE BISLERI will ensure a healthy life

WHAT ADVANTAGES BISLERI PURIFICATION

PROCESS HAS OVER PURIFICATION DONE BY
OTHER
METHODS?
21

Traditional process of boiling water for purification has its

limitations.It is time consuming. For boiling , water has to be heated
to 100 deg.Celsius. Also , to kill microbes water should be boiled
continuously for a minimum of 20 minutes. Boiling may kill the
microbes but can not remove other physical impurities and toxic
substances.
Many home appliances are available in market for water
purification. These gadgets use either filtration technique or Ultra
Violet rays or a combination of the two techniques. These
techniques do not guarantee 100 % purity of water.
Filtration removes only the visible suspended particles and not the
minute , invisible particles , toxic substances or microorganisms.
The filters are cleaned rarely and all the muck accumulates inside
leading to more contamination. Ideally such filters need to be
cleaned every day which is cumbersome. Ultra Violate rays kill the
microbes but cannot ensure removal of toxic substances and
physical impurities.
These purification equipment are incomplete and need continuous
monitoring and maintenance.
At BISLERI , through our multi stage purification process we
ensure removal of toxic substances as well as physical and
microbiological impurities. In our state-of-the-art processing plants
we follow rigorous Good Manufacturing Practices and strict Quality
Assurance norms so each and every bottle of BISLERI is made tasty,
pure and safe for the consumer.
PROTECT YOUR HEALTH WITH BISLERI WHICH USES 6
STAGES OF PURIFICATION

22

CHLORINATION : Kills micro organisms. Remove organic matter.

ARKAL FILTER : Removes suspended matter and turbidity.
CARBON FILTER :Removes residual chlorine & odours

REVERSE OSMOSIS : Removes organic material.Controls total

dissolved solids in the water.
MICRON FILTRATION: Additional safety measures of filtration.
OZONATION : Ensures water remains bacteria free for longer shelf
life.

:: Product & Packaging

Bisleri is available in a range of sizes.

The Bisleri bottled water range comprises the conventional

500 ml, one litre, 1.2 litre and two litre bottles; five litre
and 20 litre jars for the home segment, and smaller packs
sizes of 250 ml cups and 330 ml bottles, though in very
limited numbers for now.

23

BOTTLED WATER ANALYSIS

Bisleri
Spring Water - Still/Sparkling
PARTICULARS
TDS
Ph Factor
Calcium
Chlorides
Bicarbonate
Magnesium
Nitrate
Sulphates
Hardness

Mg/litre
160
7.2
13.6
22
58
7.8
2
19.3
66.1

24

WHERE CAN WE USE BISLERI ?

Drinking
Making tea, coffee, lassi, cold drinks, mixing with drinks
Kneading the dough
Cooking
Mixing with baby foods
Mixing with medicines .

THE JOURNEY TILL NOW:

1969: Buys Bisleri bottled water from an Italian company, Felice
Bisleri. It was bottled in glass bottles then.
Early-1980s: Shifts to PVC bottles. Sales surge
Mid-1980s: Switches to PET bottles, which meant more
transparency and life for water.
1993: Sells carbonated drink brands like Thums Up, Gold Spot and
Limca to Coca-Cola for Rs 400 crore.
1995: Bisleri launches a 500 ml bottle and sales shoot up by 400
per cent.
2000: Introduces the 20-litre container to bring prices down from
Rs 10 a litre to Rs 2 a litre.
25

1998: Introduces a tamper-proof and tamper-evident seal.

2000: BIS cancels Bisleri's licence of a water bottling in Delhi
since some of the bottles did not carry ISI label; the licence is
restored one-and-a-half months later.
2002: Kinley overtakes Bisleri. The national retail stores audit by
ORG-MARG show Kinley's marketshare at 35.1 per cent
compared to Bisleri's 34.4 per cent.
2003: Bisleri says it plans to venture out into Europe and America to sell bottled water

:: Vision
A major, diversified, transitional, integrated consumer product
manufacturing company, with National Leadership and a strong
environment conscience, playing a national role in safe water
and Agro based drinks.

:: Mission
To provide the highest quality product, keeping in mind all
aspects including freshness, purity and safety, and making
it easily available to the consumer at a very affordable price.
To achieve international standards of excellence in all aspects
of energy and diversified business with focus on consumer
delight through value and services of product and cost
reduction.
To enhance capital and fixed assets of the group to withstand
challenges and tough market trends.
To attain leadership in developing, adopting and assimilating
state or art technology for competitive advantage.
26

 To provide better quality of product and services through

sustained market research and product development.
To foster a culture of participation and innovation for
employee growth and contribution.
To cultivate high standards of business ethics, and total
quality management for a strong corporate identity and brand
equity with continuous and positive growth.
To help enrich the quality of life of all the communities
specially the neglected ones and preserve ecological balance
and heritage through a strong environment conscience.

CURRENT PLAYERS:
The mineral water industry is in a churn. The market is proving to
be yet another battlefield for an ongoing battle between the desis
and the MNCs. So far, MNCs have been winning. Only time will
tell what the final outcome will be but I strongly feel that here too,
like in all other markets, MNCs are going to win. Though the fate
Indian companies will suffer at the hands of these MNCs makes
me sad, the choices the consumers will have makes me happy.
A few years back, the mineral water market had been crawling at
the rate of 3-4%, or even a lower figure. Indians carried drinking
water in earthen pitchers, plastic or PUF bottles. But increasing
27

cases of typhoid and other waterborne diseases began to be

reported. In addition to this, liberalization happened and the
mineral water industry began to be stirred and shaken. The market
started growing an astounding rate of over 100% per anuum. The
fact that there were very few players in the market meant that their
business grew by leaps and bounds. Bisleri became a household
name and is now generic for bottled water. The market today has
grown to Rs11bn. The organised sector -- branded mineral water -has only Rs5bn of market share. The rest is accounted for by the
unorganized sector which is dominated by small regional players.
The market is still growing at a rate greater than 80% per annum.
In the branded segment, Bisleri is the market leader as it continues
to lead in the Rs 700-1,000 crore organised, packaged water
market with an estimated 40 per cent market share, followed by
Kinley at 28 per cent and Aquafina with an 11 per cent share. In
terms of volumes, the North and West remain Bisleri's biggest
performing markets, despite the brand's sustained national-level
presence The boom in the market has also encouraged
unscrupulous players to gain an entry. In the name of mineral
water, a number of regional players have even started selling plain
tap water. Many people have fallen sick after drinking this spurious
mineral water. The common mans faith in the product was shaken.
However, not everyone was put off. Sensing the opportunity that
this segment holds, MNCs have begun to draw up plans to enter
28

the market, but not without testing the waters first. They carried
out the appropriate feasibility studies. However, among the first to
challenge Bisleri's near monopoly was Pepsi's AquaFina followed
by stiff competition from Parles Bisleri and Coca-Cola Indias
Kinley.
The first entrant in the bulk water category was Bisleri, while
Coke, through Kinley, entered the segmen 4 years ago. Over the
past five years or so, Bisleri has become a major player in the bulk
water segment in the water-starved southern states. The 20-litre
bulk water packs are targeted at the institutional and the home
segment. Pepsi is aiming to make its brand available throughout
the country soon. The company has also ruled out entering the bulk
water segment in India. Meanwhile, the action is all in Coca-Colas
bulk water business. The 20-litre bulk water packs are targeted at
the institutional and the home segment

SWOT ANALYSIS:

BISLERI
Bisleri announced the re-launch of its 20-litre home pack with a
more consumer-friendly format in thread fitting and valve cap,
against the conventional snap-on fittings. The existing 20-litre

29

Bisleri packs are now being withdrawn and the rollout of the new
jars, priced between Rs 40-60, is on.
Bisleris focus on the bulk water market has grown in the past few
years, mainly owing to the stiff competition posed by innumerable
brands in the packaged bottled water market. Not only are there big
multinational players like Coke with their huge distribution
networks, regional players exist side by side, enjoying local clout.
Bisleri continues to lead in the Rs 700-1,000 crore organised,
packaged water market with an estimated 40 per cent market share,
followed by Kinley at 28 per cent and Aquafina with an 11 per cent
share. In terms of volumes, the North and West remain Bisleri's
biggest performing markets, despite the brand's sustained nationallevel presence the fact remains that the new kids on the block are
nibbling away at Bisleri's stranglehold over the bottled water
segment. Only three years ago, the bottled water market was
estimated at about Rs 300 crore, of which Bisleri commanded a
dominant 80 per cent share.
To ensure Bisleri packaged drinking water is held safe free from
contaminations, ultraviolet treatment and ozonisation process is
carried out. Ozone is unstable trivalent oxygen, a very powerful
bactericide with no side effect, as it disintegrates into oxygen
within couple of hours Sterilization effect of ozonised water
continues even after water is packaged, thereby ensuring safety of
Bisleri up to its final packing. To ensure high quality of packing
30

materials, components like caps and bottles are manufactured inhouse from resins of quality suppliers.
Good Manufacturing Practices are stringently followed at all times.
Processing is religiously monitored at every stage. Testing source
water, processing parameters, microbial quality, packaging
material integrity and finally, shelf life studies, forms an integral
part of quality and safety assurance plan.

Strengths:
Core business of company.
First mover in this business since 1969.
Good brand awareness and brand positioning.
Available in different packs like cups, 500 ml, 1 lit, 1.2 lit, 2 lit,
5 lit and 20 lit.
Has become generic name in the mineral water market.

31

 Availability of Bisleri in all over India with solid infrastructure

facility.
Focus on customer orientation through low price strategy.
Product differentiation by introducing patented break way seal
cap.
Best service and proper response to dealers and customers.

Weakness:
Lack of brand loyalty as MNCs are entering the market like
Nestles Purelife, Pepsis Aquafina.
Lack of Global Awareness in brand.
Lack of proper advertising to create brand awareness.
Market coverage is not fully utilized.
Institutional sales are not penetrated properly.
Lack of technological up gradation.

32

Opportunity:
Indian bottled water industry is still at growth stage.
Influence of tourists and expatriates.
Bisleri as a daughter company of Parle has a strong presence in
India.
Unreliable municipal water quality.
People are becoming health conscious.

Threats:
Numbers of players like Kinley and other local players are
present in the market have already captured the market.
Tough competition from MNC's like Coke & Pepsi.
Fluctuation in sales due to seasonality.

33

 Local manufacturers who refill used bottle Hampers the image

of the industry.
Water filters and soft drink industry is a major threat to industry.
Coke and Pepsi are already having strong distribution network
in bottle water industry with their own fleet of trucks & vans.

Bisleri goes green naturally

20 October 2006

New Delhi: The Ramesh Chauhan-promoted Bisleri International,

which pioneered the packaged drinking water business in India,
catering to consumers' need to have hygienic drinking water while
on the move or even at home, is literally changing its colours and
going for a makeover.
The brand that was till now marketed as packaged drinking water
(cleaned through reverse osmosis) will now be available in a
naturalavatar.
Bisleri International will invest Rs100 crore for the project which
constitutes a Rs40- crore investment in two plants in Uttaranchal
and Himachal Pradesh in line expansion, Bisleri International
chairman Ramesh Chauhan said. The plants will come up next
year. Chauhan said the rest of the investment of about Rs60 crore
would go into infrastructure development. The investment would
be funded through internal accruals.
34

Launching 'Bisleri Natural Mountain Water' he said the company

was looking for four more locations from where we look to source
natural water. The likely locations would be in South and West
India he said. Bisleri has 23 plants across the country producing
bottled water.
Bisleri Natural Mountain water will be available in aqua green
packaging against the blue packaging of old and will be available
in six sizes. The company is also planning an aggressive marketing
and advertising campaign with a two-year budget of Rs60 crore.
Chauhan said the new packaging has been adopted in order to
stand apart from the others and in Chauhan's words, "As leader, we
want to differentiate ourselves and hence have adopted this
aquagreen colour," he said. Priced at a significant premium to
packaged water Natural Mountain Water will be available for Rs20
per litre.
The natural water segment, which accounts for about 5 per cent of
the total bottled water segment, is expected to grow by leaps and
bounds as health awareness and disposable incomes rise.
According to the company the foray into spring water will be
followed by an entry into the packaged ice segment (Bisleri Ice) as
well into flavoured, vitamin and sparkling water categories. The
company is said to be setting up R&D facilities for ice and
studying various packaging options. Ramesh Chauhan, chairman,
Bisleri International expects to sell 10 million cases of Bisleri
Mountain Water over the next two years- a turnover of Rs200
crore. The bottled water industry is worth Rs1,000 crore in India
and is growing at 40 per cent per annum. It is projected to reach
Rs5,000 crore by 2010. The main players in the spring water
segment are Himalaya, Catch and Leh Berry. At present Himalaya
leads the segment with a 50-per cent market share.
Bisleri claims to have a 40-per cent market share of the organized
packaged water market. The natural spring water market is very
small and accounts for 5 per cent of the entire segment. Bisleri is
35

projecting a turnover of Rs300 crore this financial year, as against

Rs220 crore last year.
Chauhan says he is also preparing for an entry into the US market
with his spring water and is talks with US authorities for this. He
would not export India-bottled Bisleri into US, but would set up a
bottling operation there as transportation costs are a huge obstacle
in sourcing the product from India. "We are in the process of
getting the regulatory approvals for the venture," Chauhan said.
He said Bisleri was at par with companies in the developed world
as far as meeting international standards were concerned.

KINLEY
Kinley Watera product of the Coca-Cola Company-is the
established market leader in the drinking water segement. A
product offering of the Worlds No. 1 beverage company, Kinley
Water is brought to You with the time-tested expertise of the CocaCola. Backing Kinley Water, is the promise of delivering Trust in
every Drop. Kinley Waters 25 litre bubble top containers made
of Lexan- a polycarbonate polymer (plastic) that is made specially
for the purpose. Unlike other brands which use recycled plastic,
Kinley bubble tops are made from what is known as Virgin
Plastic.
In addition to this, Kinley offers Kinley water dispensers. These
water dispensers come in four basic models. The water dispensers
are ergonomically designed to suit both domestic as well
36

commercial requirements.

Refrigerator Model with Hot and Cold facility

Hot and Cold Model

Compacta

Elegance

Advantages of Kinley:
Good brand positioning.
Available in different packs like 500 ml, 1 ltr, 2 ltr, 5 ltr and
20 ltr.
Easy availability of product in all over India after Bisleri with
solid infrastructure facility.
Benefit as a product of Coca-Cola.
Focusing on institutional sales to create brand awareness
aggressively.
Use of technological up gradation.
37

Disadvantage of Kinley:
Lack of proper service to customers.
Lack of strong infrastructure.
Non-availability of a variety of range like Bisleri.
Focus on distributors not on small retailers.

AQUAFINA
PepsiCo India launched the packaged water bottle brand Aquafina
about five years ago in a 750-ml pack, basically targeting the
youth. The brand now retails in conventional retail pack sizes of
500-ml and 1-litre bottle
Aquafinas market share in the retail segment is estimated at about
12 per cent and it remains to be seen how PepsiCo succeeds in
penetrating the bulk water market. Pepsi Foods, too, expects its
Aquafina brand to turn national by the year-end. "Bisleri is the
market leader and a good brand that has been built over the years.
But we are gradually consolidating our bottled water business,
even if our positioning is somewhat different," says Pepsi Food's
official spokesperson.

Advantages of Aquafina:
38

 Strong distribution network.

Good brand awareness and brand positioning.
Available in different packs like 500 ml, 750 ml, 1 ltr.
Easy availability of product in all over India.
Benefits as a product of Pepsi.
Focusing on institutional sales to create brand awareness.
Use of technological up gradation.

Disadvantages of Aquafina:
Compared to Bisleri and Kinley the service from Aquafina is
not satisfactory.
Lack of strong infrastructure.
Non-availability of a variety of range.
Market coverage is not proper.
Focus on wholesalers not on small retailers.
39

ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

CONSUMER RELATED

WHICH BRAND DO YOU PREFER WHILE

BUYING MINERAL WATER?

40

40%
35%

Name of Brand

Consumer preferences

Bisleri Most Preffered

60%

Kinley

20%

Aquafina

12%

Others

8%

30% NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS USING

25%

MINERAL WATER FREQUENTLY

20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Always

41

Often

Sometimes

Never

Always

Often

Sometimes

Never

20%

27%

38%

15%

According to the survey conducted in Delhi &

its Ncr it was analyzed that 38% of the mineral
water users go in for an occasional use while
there are still 15% of the respondents who
never go for packaged water.

RESPONDENTS CHOICE AMONGST

MINERAL WATER AND SOFT DRINKS
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

42

Mineral Water

Soft Drinks

Mineral water

Soft drink

55%

45%

Determining whether, in a thirst condition, an

average individual opts for mineral water or
soft drink, one can observe that the ratio is
quite similar still more preferring Mineral
water.

BRAND AWARENESS OF MINERAL

WATER AMONG RESPONDENTS
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

0 to 2

3 to 5

6 to 10

43

10 & above

Brands

Respondents

02

40%

35

50%

6 10

10%

10 and above

The observation shows that most of the people

know only about the main brands which are
owned by the big companies and are
advertised hugely. Mainly 3 5 brands only
comes to the minds of the customer in regards
to mineral water.

CUSTOMER PREFERENCES FOR

60%

BOTTLE

50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

0.5 ltr

1 ltr

SIZE5 ltr

Size of Bottle (in ltrs.)

20 ltr

Consumer preferences

44

0.5 ltr

60%

1 ltr

20%

5 ltr

5%

20 ltr

15%

Total

100%

CUSTOMERS PREFERENCES REGARDING

PRICE WORTH OF MINERAL WATER
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

Yes

No

45

Respondents view

Yes

No

% of respondents

42%

58%

The observation shows that most of the people

are not happy paying the price, the companies
are charging for the product. They feel that the
price should be a little lower.

46

EFFECT OF ADVERTISING ON
54%

PURCHASE

52%
50%
48%
46%
44%
42%

Yes

Respondents

No

Yes

No

46%

54%

perception
% of respondents

The observation shows that most of the

populations buy the Mineral water just for the
sake of buying it rather than buying it due to
its advertising. Very few people are actually
affected by the advertisement of the product.
In the interior parts, people who do not watch
much of a TV generally does not know the
importance of ads. So they buy it only for the
sake of buying it.
47

GROWING HEALTH CONSCIOUSNESS

AMONG INDIANS

80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

Yes

No

Yes

No

73%

27%

The observation shows that most of the

population in Delhi & its NCR now a days is
getting Health Conscious. The reason being the
knowledge of the fact that the normal water
which we get is not always very hygienic and
may cause many diseases.

48

RETAILER RELATED OBSERVATIONS

AND FINDINGS
TYPES OF BRANDS RETAILERS KEEP
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Advertised

Non-advertised

Both

Advertised

Non-Advertised

Both

35%

5%

60%

According to survey, 35% of retailer go in for

advertised
products
and
non-advertised
products do not have any weight Around 60%
retailer believe in the combination of both
(advertised and non-advertised version). The
survey was based on retailers.

49

SIZE OF BOTTLE SELLING MORE

60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

0.5 Ltr

1 Ltr

5 Ltr

20 Ltr

Size of bottle

0.5 ltr

1 ltr

5 ltr

20 ltr

% of respondents

60%

20%

5%

15%

Surprisingly both 0.5 Ltr and 1 Ltr version are

selling well but 5 ltr are selling very less as
compared to others.

50

GROWTH

DURING

THE

LAST

FIVE

YEARS ACCORDING TO RETAILERS

60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

Advertised

Nonadvertised

Both

Retailers view

Yes

No

% of retailer

67%

33%

Last five year seen a tremendous growth in the

mineral water segment. The growth rate has
been very high, owing to increased health
consciousness amongst the population, arising
from scarcity of potable drinking water.

51

FUTURE PROSPECTS OF MINERAL

WATER MARKET

45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Excellent

Retailers

Good

Average

Poor

Excellent

Good

Average

Poor

42%

30%

15%

13%

prediction
% of retailers

Saturation for mineral water market is

expected with in the next 5 years after which
the market will stabilize from todays point of
view the market looks quite disruptive because
of heavy competition.

52

For

observing

retailers,

20

retailers

were

identified in some of major areas in the city.

Following inferences were drawn .
1. Initially we enquired about the numbers of brands that the
retailers sell and most of them specified not more than 3 4 .
This indicates that the retailers prefer only the main brands.
2. Most of the retailers usually keep highly advertised brands.
3. Here two basic question as to which brands are selling more
and which one is being supplied more were combined. The
answer was obvious and i.e., the one which is sold more is
supplied more and it is Bisleri (in most cases).
4. The retailers answers as to which size of bottle is selling more
were inclined towards the 1 ltr. and 500 ml bottles with certain
exceptions.
5. It was a mixed reaction of the retailers when asked about the
highest margin paid to them by a company out of 100
40% - Bisleri
20% - Kinley
15% - Aquafina

53

15%-others

RECOMMENDATION AND SUGGESTION

Campaign, stalls to beat local brands & create awareness.
Retailers need to concentrate on 5 and 20 litr bottle which
can be possible only if properly advertised & home delivery of
jars are done to the end customers.
The market is too congested and confused in the Delhi & its
Ncr region, so the company should properly promote &
strengthen the distribution channel to survive the competition.

54

CONCLUSION
After analysis of the data & facts we have collected from consumer
& the retailers & matching them with the objectives one can say
that there is very good future for mineral water market. Soft
drink market might be some threat to the mineral water at
present but within few years the scenario is going to change.
Trend signifying increasing health consciousness amongst Indians
could also be observed.
Market has seen a tremendous growth from the early nineties &
now it is increasing by 70% to 90% every year so one can easily
say there is great potential in the mineral water market.
It could also be observed that the living standards of the People
improving & as they are becoming health conscious are ready
to pay for water now. On the question of survival of so many
companies government has made policies & restrictions from April
2001 which will force many manufactures to shut down their
factories. But due to potential in the market companies with quality
product will survive.
Finally from the data collected at both primary and secondary level
one can confidently say that Bisleri as packaged water brand is the
current market leader.

55

ANNEXURE
CONSUMER QUESTIONNAIRE
Name of the respondent______________
Address of the respondent____________
Contact no.________________________

QUESTIONS
Q 1.How often do you consume mineral water?
a) Always

b) Sometimes

c) Often

d) Never

Q 2. When felling thirsty you opt for?

a) Mineral water

b) Soft drink

Q 3. How many brands of mineral water are you aware of?

a) 0-2

b) 3-5

c) 6-10

d) 10 and above

56

Q 4. Under what circumstances you opt for mineral water?

a) While traveling
b) During parties, meeting, seminars
c) When drinking water is not available
d) During illness
e) Others
Q5. Which size of bottle do you prefer?
a)500 ml

b) 1ltr.

c) 5 ltr

d) 20 ltr

Q6. Do you think mineral water is much more hygienic than

normal water?
a) Yes

b)No

Q7. Do you think the price the companies are charging, is

worth the product?
a) Yes

b) No
57

Q8. Does advertising of this product has any effect on your

purchase?
a) Yes

b) No

Q9. Do you think Indians are getting more health conscious

day by day ?
a)Yes

b) No

Q10. Which brand do you prefer while buying mineral water?

a) Bisleri

b) Kinley

c) Aquafina

d) other

58

RETAILERS QUESTIONNAIRE
Name of the respondent______________
Address of the respondent____________
Contact no.________________________

QUESTIONS
Q1. How many brands of mineral water do you sell (specify)?
a) 2-3

b) 3-5

c) More
Q2. What types of brands do you have?
a) Advertised

b) Non-Advertised

c) Both
Q3. Which brand is selling more?
a) Bisleri

b) Aquafina

c) Kinley

d) Others

Q4. Which size of bottle is selling more?

a) 500 ml

b) 1 ltr
59

c) 5 ltr

d) 20 ltr

Q5. On which brand do you get more margins?

a) Bisleri

b) Aquafina

c) Kinley

d) Others

Q 6. Do you feel there is growth in the mineral water market in

the last 5 years?
a) Yes

b) No

Q 7. What is the future prospect of this market?

a) Excellent
c) Unlike

b) Good
d) Poor

60

BIBLIOGRAPHY
PRINT MEDIA --- Business World
A&M
Economic Times
Business India

VISUAL MEDIA.
Cable Network
Internet
Britannica Encyclopedia

61