Coca-Cola plans new product for British market

Coca Cola is expected to launch a new product - "glacéau smartwater" - in Britain, aimed at the country's 1.4 billion pound ($2.4 billion) bottled water market, a decade after its Dasani brand failed in the region, The Times reported on Friday.

Coca-Cola GB, which also owns Fanta, Sprite and Dr Pepper, will spend 3 billion pounds to promote the launch in August, the newspaper said. (link.reuters.com/ruq59v)

Jon Woods, general manager of Coca-Cola GB & Ireland, told The Times it had learned its lesson from the experience with Dasani, which was made from purified tap water from Sidcup yet sold at a then-premium price of 95 pence.

Woods told the newspaper that although glacéau smartwater would be a premium product, it would be sold "without the premium price", and that it would be made from natural spring water.

The recommended retail price for a 600 ml (20 fluid ounce) bottle would be 57 pence, the same price charged by rivals for a 500 ml bottle, while an 850 ml bottle would sell for 89 pence, the price of rival brands' 750 ml bottles, The Times reported.

Coca-Cola, which has 106 water brands, already sells glacéau vitaminwater, a range of fruit-flavored drinks, in Britain.

The Times cited marketing industry sources as suggesting that the company was considering using Jennifer Aniston, who has been hired to promote smartwater in America, to promote the product launch.


/Reuters/