Bisleri to invest Rs 100cr for expansion

New Delhi, Oct 18 (UNI) In an attempt to tap the Rs 1,000 crore bottled water market, Italy's Bisleri International today announced the launch of its spring water variant, besides investing Rs 100 crore in the new project.

The new product, Bisleri Natural Mountain Water, will be tapped from a natural spring in Uttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh. The company will thus invest Rs 15-20 crore each in its two plants situated in the two states, and an amount of Rs 60-70 crore for infrastructure purposes.

''We predict a market of 1 crore bottles for Bisleri Mountain water in the coming two years. The sales of Bisleri Mountain will further enhance our reach and distribution leading to a positive impact on sales. We command over 40 per cent of market share of the organised bottled water market and will expand our presence with this new product offering,'' Bisleri International Chairman Ramesh Chauhan told reporters here.

Bisleri Mountain water will be available in six different pack sizes of 250 ml, 500ml, 1 litre, 2 litre and 5 litre.

The bottled water industry is growing at the rate of 40 per cent a year and is expected to reach Rs 5,000 crore by 2010, with the natural spring water accounting for five per cent of the entire segment, Mr Chauhan said.

The company also changed its corporate colour from blue to aquagreen.

Bisleri is also looking at strenghing its leadership position in the bottled water industry by expanding its presence and product offering.

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