The campaign was set up to target a wide range of stakeholders - including politicians, media, employer groups and trade unions, in an effort to raise the profile of water coolers and the benefits of hydration in the workplace.

It came at a critical time for the water cooler industry with revenue cuts continuing to have a negative impact on contracts - especially in the public sector.

John Dundon, Chair of the BWCA, said the objective of the campaign was to remind: “Key audiences that water coolers are an essential and cost-effective component of a healthy, productive and stimulated working environment.”

The BWCA campaign highlighted how important regular hydration is for everybody and how relevant it is in producing a more effective workforce - and in tackling many of today’s health related issues. As a result, employers are looking once again at the provision of water in the workplace as consumers sit up and take note of its importance to everyday life.

The benefits of a healthier lifestyle and better hydration can be met, says Westomatic, by the unlimited supply of pure still or sparkling water from its low maintenance, environmentally friendly Azure water dispenser.

Marketing Assistant, Charlotte Summersby explains: “The Azure has always been an economical, healthy alternative to can and bottle vendors and with its NEW ‘retail’ style graphics, high capacity filters and flash cooling technology, it is the perfect, low maintenance solution for a high volume public site or school.”

Speaking exclusively to Vending International, Anthony Spruce, Sales Director, BRITA Professional Division comments: “New Year is traditionally a time when consumers are looking for value following the indulgences of the festive period. It’s important that operators offer the best investment and encourage customers to spend by serving the perfect vended cup. Water filtration is invaluable when it comes to boosting your cup sales and guaranteeing that your customers will see maximum return for their money.”

Commenting on recent trends, Andrew Whitehouse, Sales and Marketing Manager for 3M’s Purification division had this to say: “One trend we are seeing in the water filtration market is a general price increase across raw materials such as plastics and carbon. To mitigate this increase so that it isn’t passed on to customers, vendors are concentrating their development efforts on more effective and efficient use of materials. Vendors need to be clever in the way they source materials and tighten up their supply chain. A major emphasis is on making filters smaller, more environmentally responsible and longer lasting. Recycling and reuse of materials in manufacturing is another approach vendors are taking to enhance their offerings to customers without increasing prices.”

Today’s vending consumer demands the best quality beverage, the best quality ingredients and the best taste experience as well as protection from contaminants commonly found in our mains drinking water supplies. Doulton combined ceramic/carbon filters have been successfully used for many years in ‘point of use’ (POU), mains fed water coolers since their bacterial-level filtration capabilities give protection against contamination, even when used on the most challenging water supplies whilst improving the taste of the water. In response to the needs of the vending sector and its customers, Doulton has recently added scale inhibition capabilities to its ceramic/carbon filter range in the form of the Supercarb SI & Ultracarb SI filters. 

AA First’s water filters sanitise 365 nights per year to provide optimum hygiene for the customer. At the same time, by activating sleep mode, which effectively turns the cooler off during night time, the customer is saved a considerable amount of money and related carbon. A spokesperson for AA First told us: “Automatic Overnight Ozone Sanitisation allows the distributor to reduce sanitising visits by half. This saves them two visits for bottled coolers and one visit for POU Coolers!”

Advanced water systems specialist, Vivreau has introduced a brand new tap design to its portfolio of products. The Vi Tap is the next generation of the hugely successful V20, and has been designed and built to offer all the great benefits of filtered water, in a simple, easy to use and fit format.

Stephen Charles, Managing Director of Vivreau is thrilled with the latest model in the portfolio: “The Vi tap not only looks fantastic, but boasts a perfect flow of water with zero splash. It incorporates a power saving option to reduce electricity consumption and obviously because it filters and purifies at source, it reduces an outlet’s carbon footprint significantly, in comparison to buying in bottled water.”

WaterCoolersDirect meanwhile, has announced the launch of a high capacity, mains fed water cooler range, now available for the first time in the UK. “Early customer feedback indicates people are very interested in the ability to dispense both very hot water and chilled water from one machine, the fact that it is hot enough to make tea is also a huge advantage. I’m expecting the 9D to be popular as this dual beverage functionality isn’t widely available from other coolers on the market at this price point,” said Fred Cairns Palmer, Managing Director at WaterCoolersDirect.com. “Our technical manager Andy Burns, has put the coolers through rigorous testing and I am confident that they will exceed our customers’ high expectations, especially as they are so competitively priced.”

Our water levels are under constant threat from the demands of our busy lifestyles; in workplaces up and down the country, the consumption of foods high in sugar and salt, together with drinks laden with caffeine is all too common. A fresh supply of drinking water is therefore essential and with so many options for dispensing it, all at competitive prices, none of us should be more than a few seconds away from getting the drink that we need.

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