India’s Number One mineral water brand Bisleri has now reached the UAE shores as the brand announces its official launch in the country. Known and respected for its quality, convenience and eco-friendly policies, this will be Bisleri’s first international outing and the brand has already made its presence felt in close to 1000 retail outlets across the seven emirates, with plans to be in over 4500 stores by 2017 end. So far, it has introduced their 1.5 L and 500 ml bottles with plans to expand into smaller segment (200 -330 ml) and large segments (5L & 5 Gallons) eventually. The mineral water brand, which enjoys around 60% market share in India, is one of the only two companies which sells ground water in the UAE.
The company produces in a plant at the foot of the Hajar Mountains in Bidiya, Fujairah. The brand is being represented by Korus FZC, the exclusive franchise of Bisleri which runs the full Bisleri operations in the UAE. Bisleri is now available in Al Maya Supermarkets, K M Hypermarket Chain, Al Adil, Baqer Mohebi, Apsara Supermarkets, Safeer Group, Circle K amongst others, while the brand promoters are working consistently on increasing brand’s presence and expanding its distribution network rapidly.
“Bisleri is synonymous to mineral water in India, courtesy its brand heritage. Moreover, our superior high quality packaging and sweet ground water gives a great product experience and helps strengthen the premium brand image,” said Mr Ramesh J Chauhan, Chairman and Managing Director, Bisleri International Private Limited, “We have a strong emotional appeal amongst the Indians living in the UAE, which has provided us with a firm foothold in the country – although obviously our target market is not any particular nationality; we plan to reach out to everyone. We differentiate on every step of the consumer journey and our attractive green label stands out on the shelf, making it all the more striking and attractive”.
“We will be building the brand through social media on the platform of ‘Trust & Heritage’. Trusted by millions globally, Bisleri intends to be a community partner in the UAE through schools where we will encourage everyone to drink more water. We believe this will lead to a healthier country and therefore a happier country, which is one of the goals of the rulers here in the UAE,” explained Amitabh Bose, Founder and CEO of Korus, “Our USP is the combination of Trust, gained over many decades, and sweet ground water providing the best quality water in the best quality bottle. This way we are taking care of both the emotional and functional needs of our consumers.”
Commenting on future plans, Bose added that the company will eventually enter in other categories as well, including carbonated drinks portfolio along with Vedica, the brand’s Himalayan water in upper segment category.
“The bottled water market in the UAE is estimated at AED 2+ billion market and growing at 10%. Bisleri is looking to gain 5 percent market share within the next 2-3 years; our long-term ambition is to be a key player in the next 5-7 years. For now, our focus is on mineral water, but once we have established our presence here comfortably, we will definitely move on to the next level. We also feel that the UAE is the gateway to several other countries in the Middle East-African region, so we would like to explore opportunities in the places as well, while based out of Dubai. But for now, its one step at a time. So we would want to consolidate in UAE before deciding on the launch strategy & timings for the other GCC countries,” added Amitabh Bose.