West Europe Water Coolers up to 2.8 Million Units
Water cooler sales in Western Europe have skyrocketed over the past few years, reaching nearly 2.8 million units at the end of 2012. This is a remarkable number considering that water coolers were rarely sold 25 years ago. While sales have skyrocketed over the past 2 ½ decades, growth now seems to have slowed down a bit to around a 1% increase per year. There has also been a shift in the type of water cooler desired by most European customers.
Bottled vs. Point-of-Use Coolers
Most water coolers purchased today are the bottled type, with more than 58% of all water cooler sales being this variety. Point-of-use coolers are increasing in popularity, and could eventually outnumber bottled coolers. Point-of-use coolers tie into existing water supply lines, and do not require bottles to be refilled. In 2012, the number of point-of-use coolers increased by more than 6%, making the total number found in western Europe around 1.2 million units.
Biggest Countries
More water coolers are found in the U.K. and Italy than in any other European countries. The total market share in these two nations is a whopping 41%. There was a higher increase in point-of-use coolers in Switzerland than in any other country, while Greece had the largest increase in water cooler sales overall. The total number of units sold in Spain actually decreased in 2012. Here, there were more point-of-use coolers sold than in the previous year; however, the number of bottled water coolers purchased were far less than in 2011, thereby resulting in an overall decrease in numbers.
Future Forecasts
Zenith International has been tracking the number of water coolers sold in Europe, and has made some startling predictions. This agency predicts that water cooler sales will reach more than 3.2 million by the year 2017. They claim that more companies will be focused on sustainable products when choosing water coolers, which is why half of the units sold are expected to be point-of-use coolers rather than bottled machines.
Water coolers are important for any business as they provide better tasting water than what is normally available on tap. It's extremely likely that water cooler sales in Europe and the rest of the world will continue to grow as more and more companies begin to understand just how important water is to maintaining the health of their employees and the production of their operations.
Bottled vs. Point-of-Use Coolers
Most water coolers purchased today are the bottled type, with more than 58% of all water cooler sales being this variety. Point-of-use coolers are increasing in popularity, and could eventually outnumber bottled coolers. Point-of-use coolers tie into existing water supply lines, and do not require bottles to be refilled. In 2012, the number of point-of-use coolers increased by more than 6%, making the total number found in western Europe around 1.2 million units.
Biggest Countries
More water coolers are found in the U.K. and Italy than in any other European countries. The total market share in these two nations is a whopping 41%. There was a higher increase in point-of-use coolers in Switzerland than in any other country, while Greece had the largest increase in water cooler sales overall. The total number of units sold in Spain actually decreased in 2012. Here, there were more point-of-use coolers sold than in the previous year; however, the number of bottled water coolers purchased were far less than in 2011, thereby resulting in an overall decrease in numbers.
Future Forecasts
Zenith International has been tracking the number of water coolers sold in Europe, and has made some startling predictions. This agency predicts that water cooler sales will reach more than 3.2 million by the year 2017. They claim that more companies will be focused on sustainable products when choosing water coolers, which is why half of the units sold are expected to be point-of-use coolers rather than bottled machines.
Water coolers are important for any business as they provide better tasting water than what is normally available on tap. It's extremely likely that water cooler sales in Europe and the rest of the world will continue to grow as more and more companies begin to understand just how important water is to maintaining the health of their employees and the production of their operations.