A

PROJECT REPORT
on
TO STUDY MARKETING STRATEGIES OF
BISLERI

Submitted in the partial fulfillment for the

award of

Masters Degree in Business

Administration
2015-17
Submitted by

Munzir Shabbir
1

Declaration
I Munzir Shabir hereby declare that the presented report of internship
titled Marketing Strategy Of Biselari ltd (Dehli branch) is uniquely
prepared by me after the completion of one and half month work at
Dehli Branch of Biselari ltd.
I also confirm that the report is only prepared for my academic
requirement not for any other purpose. It might not be used with the
interest of opposite party of the corporation

Munzir Shabir

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
2

Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into
joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.
William Arthur Ward

On the very offset of this project, I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to
all those whose efforts and guidance have made this internship project a success.
Above all I thank God Almighty for giving me the strength to work and
successfully complete this internship project.
I am extremely thankful to my supervisor Mr for his seamless guidance
and encouragement throughout the project. I express my gratitude for his constant
support, guidance and cooperation. His valuable inputs and continuous boost up
helped me in completing the report.
At last, but never the least I would thank my family and my friends whose
blessings and continuous encouragement helped me throughout the project.

Munzir Shabir

Table of Contents
S. NO

TITLE
3

PAGE NO

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The objective of the project To Study The Marketing

Strategies of Bisleri This project consists consumer

4

and retailer survey. In retailer and Consumer survey, 35

retailers and 100 consumers were personally interviewed.
The market covered was Panchkula The data was
collected through questionnaire.

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION
To the domestic packaged drinking water market
6

The concept of bottled mineral is quite a new one for Indian People. Since we never
consider these things as necessity and especially when we are paying for natural resource
like water which is available freely.
The bottled water market has recently seen growth; the reason behind this may be the
growing health consciousness among Indians or non-availability of pure drinking water.
Most of the users are daily travelers, patients or it is used in parties/seminars. Moreover
30% of the whole mineral water customers are travelers.
When governments spoke about providing drinking water to all, little did one imagine
that MNCs would package it and sell it to us. The advent of the small bottles has
increased consumption. Buying water near the bus stop or at the railway station has
become a routine.
Indian water market has many companies selling water, on an whole there are more than
300 big & small players in the market some of the big players are Bisleri, Aquafina,
Kinley, Purelife, Mcdowell etc. these companies are dealing in same market, same price
& also same capacity. Bisleri is owned by Parle group, Aquafina is owned by Pepsi,
Kinley is owned by Coke, Nestle has Purelife. But some small players also have
sufficient market share in their local market, like prime, silver drop, royal fresh are very
popular in the congested region.
Bisleri is most popular brand in North India. Bisleri is having big contracts like with air
Indian & some part of Indian railways. Since the early 1990s, Indian attitude have
changed and people are flocking to the cities at a frenetic pace - one-third of Indian now
live in urban areas. But in many parts of the country, quality of water is still a major
concern. Given the extreme climatic conditions in India, especially the heat and dust, plus
the fact people are now prone to dehydration because they commute further for work and
social activities, the issues of safe drinking water is more prevalent than ever. As the
mercury soars, so do the sales of bottled water. The advantage it has is unlike the Colas
and other drinks dispensed from vending machines, a bottle fits into a handbag and can
7

be carried conveniently. The trend of using mineral water for drinking purpose started as
a means to take advantage of the therapeutic value of water. This trend gained potential
momentum during 1970s and ever since bottled water was exported every year from
mineral springs in France and other European countries. In western countries, the practice
of bottled drinking water started during 1950s. The first launch of bottled water in India
was the launch of 'Bisleri' of Parle company during 1968-69 which was a major flop as
the Indian population was not prepared to accept the concept of purchasing water. The
market of bottled water remained weak and inactive for as long as 20 years. The relaunch
ofBisleri in 1994, however, was a success due to the growing awareness and high
consciousness of health and hygiene among people. Today many, medical stores in the
city are doing very well with the sale of branded bottled water. The brand name plays an
impression on the human mind. Bottled water is available in quantities of 330ml, 500ml,
lit, l lt, 1.5lts, 2 lts, 5 lts, l0 lts, 20 lts and 50 lts. For a particular brand to be certified as
bottled water it requires approval on 4 levels namely the Central, the state, the trade
association, and individual company levels.

ILL EFFECTS OF DRINKING UNTREATED WATER

Typhoid

 Bone deformation
Joint pain
Hardening of arteries and muscles
Gastro - stomach upsets
Excess content of fluoride can lead to flourisis
Arsenic Poisoning

COMMONLY FOUND WATER CONTAMINATION SOURCES

Contaminated storage Tanks
Cross contamination at sources
Leaks in distribution network
Improper functioning of Purifiers
Domestic Waste
Borewell or contaminated ground water
Organic matters
Industrial waste.

THE

PACKAGED DRINKING WATER INDUSTRY AN OVERVIEW MARKET SHARE

Currently, Bisleri continues to lead in the Rs 700-1,000 crore organised, packaged water market
with an estimated 40 per cent market share, followed by Kinley at 28 per cent and Aquafina with
an 11 per cent share. Inr terms of volumes, the North and West remain Bisleri's biggest performing
markets, despite the brand's sustained national-level presence. The market has been growing for the
9

last three years at an unimaginable rate of 80%. The market size of bottled water is expected to
surpass the size of soft drinks market very soon in the near future.

21%
40%

Bisleri

11%

Kinley
Aquafina

28%

Others

Individual Market Share

BISLERI-40%,

KINLEY-28%,

AQUAFINA-11%,

OTHERS-21%

Due to the demand for water, a large number of "mineral water manufacturers" have been spawned
selling little more than tap water to the unsuspecting consumer, the majority of whom are still very native
about mineral water. Pepsi Co's Aquafina brand, which debuted the bottled water business in September
1999,target the youth sector and concentrates on just one pack size, 750ml priced ten rupees.
Coca-Cola is the most recent entrant (May 2000) with its Kinley, brand and in a controversial and
unsuccessful marketing campaign, it obtained an endorsement from the Federation of Family
Physicians' Association of India (FFPAI), a lesser known body of doctors for its brand.
Estimates show that there are around 100 small regional players in the bottle water market and the
number have been growing at an unbelievable 70%-100% per year, year on year, for the past four
years. This has enticed a number of international brands in the market besides Coca-Cola and

10

PepsiCoNestle (Pure Life), Britannia, Lever, United Breweries and Shaw Wallace. Danone Pairs launched
Evian some time back and even imported hundreds of cases for VIP guests celebrating the Hindu festival
kumbh mela. The government has been forced to sit up, take notice and tighten regulations after
comprehensive sample tests were taken by consumer groups and found that a number of the smaller and
more

unscrupulous

"opportunistic"

players

were

selling

little

more

than

tap

water.

Until recently the government of had set standards only for mineral water and even the PFA
(Prevention of Food Adulteration Act) and BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) were deficient when
compared to international market. Under the new regulations 48 specifications are to be met for water to
become mineral water and for packaged drinking water there are 43 specifications. But small players are
bound to fall out of the. market by April 1, 2001 when the new regulations were supposed to be enforced.

THE PET RECYCLING PROJECT.

Bisleri is extremely conscious of environmental issues, since PET bottles are not biodegradable
and not easy to dispose. The company is currently working on the PET recycling project, where
they will collect bottles from various places, crush and shred them. This shredded material will
then be made into ropes, PET containers for the non-food industry and other PET items like
polyester fibre, flower vase, gift items etc.

BOTTLED WATER ANALYSIS.

Calcium

13.6
22
58
7.8
2
19.3
66.1

Chlorides
Bicarbonate
Magnesium
Nitrate
Sulphates
Hardness

Bisleri
Spring

Water

Still/Sparkling

11

PARTICULARS
TDS
Ph Factor

Mg/Litre
160
7.2

CURRENT

PLAYERS

The mineral water industry is in a churn. The market is proving to be yet another battlefield for
an ongoing battle between the desis and the MNCs. So far, MNCs have been winning. Only
time will tell what the final outcome will be but I strongly feel that here too, like in all other
markets, MNCs are going to win. Though the fate Indian companies will suffer at the hands of
these MNCs makes me sad, the choices the consumers will have makes me happy. A few years
back, the mineral water market had been crawling at the rate of 3-4%, or even a lower figure.
Indians

carried

drinking

water

in

earthen

pitchers,

plastic

or

PUF

bottles.

But increasing cases of typhoid and other waterborne diseases began to be reported. In addition
to this, liberalization happened and the mineral water industry began to be stirred and shaken.
The

market

started

growing

an

astounding

rate

of

over

100%

per

anuum.

The fact that there were very few players in the market meant that their business grew by leaps
and bounds. Bisleri became a household name and is now generic for bottled water. The
market today has grown to Rsl Ibn. The organised sector branded mineral water has only Rs5 bn of
market share.
The rest is accounted for by the unorganized sector which is dominated by small regional
players. The market is still growing - at a rate greater than 80% per annum. In the branded
segment, Bisleri is the market leader as it continues to lead in the Rs 700-1,000 crore
organised, packaged water market with an estimated 40 per cent market share, followed by Kinley at 28
percent and Aquaflna with an 11 per cent share. In terms of volumes, the North and West remain Bisleri's
biggest performing markets, despite the brand's sustained national-level presence The boom in
the market has also encouraged unscrupulous players to gain an entry. In the name of mineral
water, a number of regional players have even started selling plain tap water. Many people
have

fallen

sick

after

drinking

this

spurious

mineral

water.

The common man's faith in the product was shaken. However, not everyone was put off.
Sensing the opportunity that this segment holds, MNCs have begun to draw up plans to enter
the market, but not without testing the waters first. Ifhey carried out the appropriate feasibility
studies. However, among the first to challenge Bisleri's near monopoly was Pepsi's AquaFina
followed by stiff competition from Parle's Bisleri and Coca-Cola India's Kinley. The first
12

entrant in the bulk water category was Bisleri, while Coke, through Kinley, entered the segment 4 years
ago. Over the past five years or so, Bisleri has become a major player in the bulk water segment in
the water-starved southern states. The 20-litre bulk water packs are targeted at the institutional
and the home segment. Pepsi is aiming to make its brand available throughout the country
soon. The company has also ruled out entering the bulk water segment in India. Meanwhile,
the action is all in Coca-Colas bulk water business. The 20-litre bulk water packs are targeted
at the institutional and the home segment.

Bisleri goes green naturally

20 October 2006.
The brand that was till now marketed as packaged drinking water (cleaned through reverse
osmosis) will now be available in a natural avatar.Bisleri International will invest Rs lOO crore for
the project which constitutes a Rs40- crore investment in two plants in Uttaranchal and Himachal
Pradesh in line expansion, Bisleri International chairman Ramesh Chauhan said. The plants will
come up next year. Chauhan said the rest of the investment of about Rs60 crore would go into
infrastructure

development.

The

investment

would

be

funded

through

internal

accruals.

Launching 'Bisleri Natural Mountain Water' he said the company was looking for four more
locations from where we look to source natural water. The likely locations would be in South and
West India he said. Bisleri has 23 plants across the country producing bottled water.
Bisleri Natural Mountain water will be available in aqua green packaging against the blue
packaging of old and will be available in six sizes. The company is also planning an aggressive
marketing

and

advertising

campaign

with

two-year

budget

of

Rs60

crore.

Chauhan said the new packaging has been adopted in order to stand apart from the others and in
Chauhan's words, "As leader, we want to differentiate ourselves and hence have adopted this ,
aquagreen colour," he said. Priced at a significant premium to packaged water Natural Mountain
Water

will

be

available

for

Rs20

per

litre.

The natural water segment, which accounts for about 5 per cent of the total bottled water segment,
is expected to grow by leaps and bounds as health awareness and disposable incomes rise.
According to the company the foray into spring water will be followed by an entry into the
packaged ice segment (Bisleri Ice) as well into flavoured, vitamin and sparkling water categories.
The company is said to be setting up R&D facilities for ice and studying various packaging
options. Ramesh Chauhan, chairman, Bisleri International expects to sell 10 million cases of
Bisleri

Mountain

Water

over

the

next

two
13

years-

turnover

of

Rs200

crore.

The bottled water industry is worth Rs 1,000 crore in India and is growing at 40 per cent per
annum. It is projected to reach Rs5,000 crore by 2010. The main players in the spring water
segment are Himalaya, Catch and Leh Berry. At present Himalaya leads the segment with a 50-percent
market share. Bisleri claims to have a 40-per cent market share of the organized packaged water market.
The natural spring water market is very small and accounts for 5 per cent of the entire segment. Bisleri
is projecting a turnover of Rs300 crore this financial year, as against Rs220 crore last year.
Chauhan says he is also preparing for an entry into the US market with his spring water and is talks
with US authorities for this. He would not export India-bottled Bisleri into US, but would set up a
bottling operation there as transportation costs are a huge obstacle in sourcing the product from
India. "We are in the process of getting the regulatory approvals for the venture," Chauhan said. He
said Bisleri was at par with companies in the developed world as far as meeting international standards
were concerned.

Kinley
Kinley Water-a product of the Coca-Cola Company-is the established market leader in the drinking
water segement. A product offering of the World's No. 1 beverage company, Kinley Water is
brought to You with the time-tested expertise of the Coca-Cola. Backing Kinley Water, is the
promise of delivering Trust in every Drop'. Kinley Water's 25 litre bubble top containers made of
Lexan- a polycarbonate polymer (plastic) that is made specially for the purpose. Unlike other
brands which use recycled plastic, Kinley bubble tops are made from what is known as Virgin
Plastic.
In addition to this, Kinley offers Kinley water dispensers. These water dispensers come in four
basic models. The water dispensers are ergonomically designed to suit both domestic as well commercial
requirements.

Refrigerator Model with Hot and Cold facility

Hot and Cold Model.
Compacta.
Elegance.

Advantages of Kinley:
Good brand positioning.
Available in different packs like 500 ml, 1 Itr, 2 Itr, 5 Itr and 20 Itr.

14

 Easy availability of product in all over India after Bisleri with solid
infrastructure facility.
Benefit as a product of Coca-Cola.
Focusing on institutional sales

to create

brand awareness

aggressively.
Use of technological up gradation. Disadvantage of Kinley:
Lack of proper service to customers.
Lack of strong infrastructure.
Non-availability of a variety of range like Bisleri.
Focus on distributors not on small retailers.

Aquafina
Pepsi Co. India launched the packaged water bottle brand Aquafina about five years ago in a 750ml pack, basically targeting the youth. The brand now retails in conventional retail pack sizes of
500-ml and 1-litre bottle Aquafina's market share in the retail segment is estimated at about 12 per
cent and it remains to be seen how PepsiCo succeeds in penetrating the bulk water market. Pepsi
Foods, too, expects its Aquafina brand to turn national by the year-end. "Bisleri is the market
leader and a good brand that has been built over the years. But we are gradually consolidating our
bottled water business, even if our positioning is somewhat different," says Pepsi Food's official
spokesperson.

Advantages of Aquafina.

Strong distribution network.

Good brand awareness and brand positioning.
Available in different packs like 500 ml, 750 ml, 1 Itr.
Easy availability of product in all over India.
Benefits as a product of Pepsi.
Focusing on institutional sales to create brand awareness.
Use of technological up gradation.
15

Disadvantages of Aquafina.

Compared to Bisleri and Kinley the service from Aquafina is not satisfactory.
Lack of strong infrastructure.
Non-availability of a variety of range.
Market coverage is not proper.
Focus on wholesalers not on small retailers.

CHAPTER 2

16

Company profile
of Bisleri.

Company profile of Bisleri.

In 1967, Bisleri an Italian company, started by Signer Felice Bisleri, first brought the idea of
selling bottled water in India. It started a company called Bisleri India. In 1969, Ramesh Chauhan,
17

the Chairman of Parle Exports, bought over the brand. In those days, Bisleri packaged drinking water was
available in glass bottle.
Being a returnable package owing to various other problems such as breakage and weight, in
1972-73, Bisleri was made available in PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) bottles. After this plastic
packaging was introduced, things started to change, and sales increased rapidly.

The upsurge in the sales of Bisleri started in 1993 as Ramesh Chauhan sold off the Parle stable of
brands, including Thums Up, Limca and Gold Spot. Recognising the potential of the packaged
drinking water market, he then went on to concentrate on making Bisleri a top selling brand in
India.

The present
It was around the year 1995, when Parle Exports took charge of the brand operations and the
business took off in the market. With factories across India and a strong distribution network,
Bisleri established itself as a force to reckon with in the domestic packaged drinking water market.
Earlier the packaged drinking water market consisted of five star hotels, tourists and foreigners. As
a marketing strategy, a conscious decision was taken by the company that only 40% of the
sales should come from these outlets and 60% from general market, i.e. paanwallas, street shops,
general stores and even non-tourists .
This brought about a sea change in the perception in the consumer's mind about consumption of
Bisleri. Earlier, drinking bottled water was considered to be more of a status symbol. That thinking
has slowly changed to the point where today, not drinking Bisleri is considered as being behind the
times. Such has been the presence and penetration of the Bisleri brand in the bottled water
segment.
About few years ago, in 1998, a strategy was adopted to concentrate aggressively on the home
market. The habit of boiling water or using electronic gadgets was not adequate, since the source
of water itself was unreliable. The bulk packages like the 2, 5 and 20 litre bottles were introduced to meet
this market need. The price per litre went down as a result, making bottled water very economical for the
consumer.

Future Plans

18

Bisleri was the first to market bottled water in a totally virgin market and naturally people
associate the brand with bottled water. Now Bisleri is perhaps already ten steps ahead of its
competitors
Bisleri's

and
brand

will

endeavour

positioning

to

stresses

widen
on

its

pure,

gap
clean

in
and

the
safe

times

to

come.

drinking

water.

Some of the future plans to maintain the top spot that Bisleri commands in the Indian market are:
New pack sizes in bottles and cups
Increase

the

distribution

network

with

an

investment

of

over

200

crores.

Strengthen presence in traditionally weak areas by setting up 12 new bottling facilities at a cost of Rs150

crores.

Technology Developments
To make sure that the product that reaches the consumer is always of highest standard and also
meets international standards, Bisleri has always been involved in improving its product
packaging. One such recent development is the tamper proof break away seal. Bisleri also
recognises the need to produce environment friendly products and is working on the PET project.

The Break Away Seal

Keeping in mind the consumer's need to recognise a genuine product that cannot be tampered with,
Bisleri developed the break away seal. The unique cap has been patented and cannot be duplicated
or tampered with. This technology development in the product ensures that the consumer will only
get a highly safe product when they consume Bisleri packaged drinking water.

Product Packaging
To ensure purity of the bottled water, the bottles that are used are blown and filled at the factory itself, to
avoid contamination.

Purification Process
At BISLERI plants, water undergoes multi - stage purification process to ensure proper blend of
minerals and complete removal of microorganisms and toxic substances. So a habit of drinking
19

PURE

and

SAFE

BISLERI

will

ensure

healthy

life

What advantages bisleri purification process has over purification done by other methods
Traditional process of boiling water for purification has its limitations. lt is time consuming. For
boiling, water has to be heated to 100 deg. Celsius. Also, to kill microbes water should be boiled
continuously for a minimum of 20 minutes. Boiling may kill the microbes but can not remove other
physical impurities and toxic substances.
Many home appliances are available in market for water purification. These gadgets use either
filtration technique or Ultra Violet rays or a combination of the two techniques. These techniques do not
guarantee 100 % purity of water.
Filtration removes only the visible suspended particles and not the minute , invisible particles ,
toxic substances or microorganisms. The filters are cleaned rarely and all the muck accumulates
inside leading to more contamination. Ideally such filters need to be cleaned every day which is
cumbersome. Ultra Violate rays kill the microbes but cannot ensure removal of toxic substances and
physical impurities.
These purification equipment are incomplete and need continuous monitoring and maintenance.
At BISLERI, through our multi - stage purification process we ensure removal of toxic
substances as well as physical and microbiological impurities. In our state-of-the-art processing
plants we follow rigorous Good Manufacturing Practices and strict Quality Assurance norms so
each and every bottle of BISLERI is made tasty, pure and safe for the consumer.

PROTECT YOUR HEALTH WITH BISLERI WHICH USES 6 STAGES OF

PURIFICATION
CHLORINATION: Kills micro organisms. Remove organic matter.
ARKAL FILTER: Removes suspended matter and turbidity.
REVERSE OSMOSIS: Removes organic material. Controls total dissolved solids in the water.
MICRON FILTRATION: Additional safety measures of filtration.
OZONATION: Ensures water remains bacteria free for longer shelf life.

Product and Packaging.

Bisleri is available in a range of sizes.
20

The Bisleri bottled water range comprises the conventional 500 ml, one litre, 1.2 litre and two
litre bottles; five litre and 20 litre jars for the home segment, and smaller packs sizes of 250 ml
cups

and

330

ml

bottles,

though

in

very

limited

numbers

for

now.

Vision
A major, diversified, transitional, integrated consumer product manufacturing company, with
National Leadership and a strong environment conscience, playing a national role in safe water and agro
based drinks.

Mission

To provide

the

highest

quality

product,

keeping

in

mind

all

aspects

including

freshness, purity and safety, and making it easily available to the consumer at a very

affordable price.
To achieve international

standards

of

excellence

in

all

aspects

of

energy

and

diversified business with focus on consumer delight through value and services of

product and cost reduction.

To enhance capital and fixed assets of the group to withstand challenges and tough market trends.
To

attain

leadership

in

developing,

adopting

and

assimilating

state

or

art

technology for competitive advantage.

To provide better quality of product

research and product development.

To foster a culture of participation

contribution.
To cultivate high standards of business ethics, and total quality management for a

strong corporate identity and brand equity with continuous and positive growth.
To help enrich the quality of life of all the communities specially the neglected

and

and

services

innovation

through
for

sustained

employee

market

growth

and

ones and preserve ecological balance and heritage through a strong environment
conscience.

Why Bisleri?

Bisleri is totally safe & protects you from all water borne diseases.
Bisleri is trusted by 50 lakhs households across the country.
Bisleri is the brand leader in bottled water category.
The water is purified through six stages of purification process that includes reverse osmosis and
Ozonation.

Where Can We Use Bisleri?

21

Drinking.
Making tea, coffee, lassi, cold drinks, mixing with drinks.
Kneading the dough
Cooking.
Mixing with baby foods.
Mixing with medicines.

Chapter-3
LITERATURE
REVIEW
22

LITERATURE REVIEW
1969: Buys Bisleri bottled water from an Italian company, Felice Bisleri. It was bottled
in glass bottle then.
Early-1980s: Shifts to PVC bottles. Sales surge
Mid-1980s: Switches to PET bottles, which meant more transparency and life for
water.

1993: Sells carbonated drink brands like Thums Up, Gold Spot and Limca_to Cocacola for RS400 crore.
1995: Bisleri launches a 500 ml bottle and sales shoot up by 400 per cent.
2000: Introduces the 20-litre container to bring prices down from Rs 10 a litre to Rs 2 a
litre.

1998: Introduces a tamper-proof and tamper-evident seal.

2000: BIS cancels Bisleri's licence of a water bottling in Delhi since some of the bottles
did not carry ISI label; the licence is restored one-and-a-half months later.
2002: Kinley overtakes Bisleri. The national retail stores audit by ORG-MARG show
kinleys marketshare at 35.1 per cent compared to Bisleri's 34.4 per cent.
2003: Bisleri says it plans to venture out into Europe and America to sell bottled water

2004: water king, Mr Ramesh Chauhan, set to take brand Bisleri across the globe.
2005: Bisleri has announced its plans to foray into the domestic fruit juice market and
earmarked an investment of Rs 100 crore for upgradation of its Chittor plant and setting
up of a new facility.
2006: Bisleri Natural Mountain water will be available in aqua green packaging
against the blue packaging of old and will be available in six sizes.
2007: Parle Bisleri changed the look introduced a new variant (natural mountain water)
and announced its plan to launch the brand in US- a huge market for designer waters.
23

2008:Bisleri International has decided to register the mango drink brand Maaza in
eastern European countries, and launch the brand through a franchisee operation.
2009: company plans to concentrate on markets such as Jammu and
Kashmir,Kerela,Southern part of Tamil Nadu and Punjab,which are its Weaker links to
steer a 40% annual growth in sales.

24

And this is how Parle Bisleri began

According to the Bureau of Indian Standards there are 1,200 bottled water factories all over India
(of which 600 are in one state Tamil Nadu). Over 100 brands are vying for the Rs 1,000-crore
(Rs 10 billion) bottled water market and are hard selling their products in every way possible
better margins to dealers, aggressive advertising, catchy taglines.... In such a scenario, The
Strategist takes a look at how it all started with Bisleri and how Ramesh Chauhan,
chairman, Parle Bisleri created a market out of pure water.
Bisleri mineral water was bought from the Italian company, Felice Bisleri, in 1969 the
company had been unable to market bottled water and wanted to exit the market Parle too did
not see any potential for the product at that time.
As a soft drinks company, Parle had Thums Up, Gold Spot and Lime a (cola, orange drink and
lemonade) but no soft drink company was complete without a soda. So they merely used the
name and launched Bisleri soda with two variants - carbonated and non-carbonated mineral
water.
But three decades ago, what could they say about a category that had no market? They
didn't know our target group. Then, since bottled water is colourless, tasteless and odourless, it
was not an easy product to advertise.
Thus, the earlier brand building efforts focused on Bisleri being healthy with adequate minerals.
The Italian name added a dash of class to it. The first print ad campaign captured the
international essence and showed a butler with a bow tie, holding two bottles of Bisleri.

25

The punchline was, "Bisleri is veri veri extraordinari" (the spelling of the
punchline was designed to capture the consumer's attention). The campaign was
successful and we were being noticed as someone who catered to the need for safe,
healthy drinking water.
However, the real boost to mineral water came in the early-to-mid-1980s when
they switched to PVC packaging and later to PET bottles. The PET packaging did
not just ensure better transparency they could now show sparkling clear water to
the consumers. It also meant better life for the water.
Meanwhile, Bisleri soda was doing well but they had to discontinue production as
they sold their soft drink brands to Coca-Cola in 1993. But Ramesh Chauhan's
interest was in building brands and not in bottling soft drinks. That's when he
started to concentrate on developing the Bisleri water brand.
There was a clear opportunity of building a market for bottled water. The quality of
water available in the country was bad. It was similar to what Europe faced before
World War II. The quality of water in Europe was extremely poor, which created
the bottled water industry there. In India, too, not only was water scarce, whatever
was available was of bad quality.
Initially, though bottled water was something only foreigners and non-resident
Indians consumed, they still had to increase the distribution, which meant the
dealer margins reduced. And because of limited sales, the dealer margin had to be
kept high to compensate low sales. Now they had to push sales.
Hence, they introduced free sampling of Bisleri at the tables where the elderly
guests would sit. Soon customers were ordering bottled water on special occasions.
26

Currently, the consumption of bottled water is far in excess of soft drinks on such
occasions.
The other major challenge was distribution. Soft drink sales are in glass bottles and
the distribution model is built around picking up empty bottles and getting them
back to the factory. That's not the case with the retail bottled water packs (below 2
litre). But a product that's not available where it's needed is useless.
The number of outlets where Bisleri is available has increased from 50,000 in 1995
to 2,50,000 at present. But that is not enough they need to keep looking for
different avenues. Take stationery shops and chemists, for instance. They don't
keep soft drinks but sell Bisleri. That is the kind of exclusivity we look for to get
ahead of the distribution network that soft drink companies talk of.

27

Chapter 4
SWOT ANALYSIS
OF BISLERI

28

SWOT ANALYSIS OF BISLERI

Strengths
Core business of company.
First mover in this business since 1969.
Good brand awareness and brand positioning.
Available in different packs like cups, 500 ml, 1 lit, 1.2 lit, 2 lit, 5 lit and 20

lit.
Has become generic name in the mineral water market.
Availability of Bisleri in all over India with solid infrastructure facility.
Focus on customer orientation through low price strategy.
Product differentiation by introducing patented break way seal cap.
Best service and proper response to dealers and customers.

Weakness
Lack of brand loyalty as MNC's are entering the market like Nestle's

Purelife, Pepsi's Aquafina.

Lack of Global Awareness in brand.
Lack of proper advertising to create brand awareness.
Market coverage is not fully utilized.
Institutional sales are not penetrated properly.
Lack of technological up gradation.

Opportunity
Indian bottled water industry is still at growth stage.
Influence of tourists and expatriates.
Bisleri as a daughter company of Parle has a strong presence in India.
Unreliable municipal water quality.
People are becoming health conscious.
Threats
29

 Numbers of players like Kinley and other local players are present in the
market have already captured the market.
Tough competition from MNC's like Coke & Pepsi.
Fluctuation in sales due to seasonality.
Local manufacturers who refill used bottle Hampers the image of the
industry.
Water filters and soft drink industry is a major threat to industry.
Coke and Pepsi are already having strong distribution network in bottle
water industry with their own fleet of trucks & vans.

PEST ANALYSIS
Political Analysis
Government failure to provide safe drinking water.
Laws encouraging ground water exploration.
Environmental regulations.
Economic Environment
Developing Economy.
Better infrastructure:
Social Environment
Scarcity of water.
Health conscious people.
Population growth rate.
Technological Environment
Economies of scale.

30

Chapter 5
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
31

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

To learn about the domestic packaged drinking water market, its market distribution and Brand

Bisleri in details.
To find about consumers' and retailers' brand preference
To identify the various threats of the mineral water market
To find the retailers view on the mineral water market
To find the potential of Mineral water market in South Delhi.

32

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research design
A research design is purely and simply the framework or plan for a study that guides the
collection and analysis of data. The Survey Research was used in this project, because Retailers
and consumers feedback was necessary for obtaining the data. Starting a research project needs a
basic preparation regarding the issues related to the topic selected. For this one needs to do some
deskwork.
Deskwork Includes
1.Determining
the

basic

objectives

of

the

study

undertaken.

2. Collection of secondary data related to the topic from Internet, magazines & newspapers.
3.

Study

the

market,

which

one

wants

to

cover.

4. Analyze the objective on the basis of information collected by secondary data.

5. All the above activities at the initial stage of the project must be completed & then the main
part follows.

Data sources:
a) Primary data: These are those data which are collected afresh and for the first time, and thus
happen to be original in character. I will be using the structured questioners.
b) Secondary data: These are those which have already been collected by someone else and
which have already been passed through the statistical process. I will collect it from the
sources like internet published data etc.

Population of the study:

People

from

South

Delhi

region

will

be

included

in

the

population.

Sample Size:
I took 100 consumers and 35 retailers as my respondents. They were selected by random
sampling method because in this case systematic sampling is not possible since one cannot
say whether a person is using mineral water or not.

Sampling Technique:
Random

sampling

technique

will

be

used

in

this

research

project.

Research Instrument:
For doing the survey research, structured questionnaire with both open-ended and closedended

questions

was

Mode of Survey:

33

used.

The mode of survey was personal interview with the retailers and consumers during the
filling up of the questionnaires.

Preparing the questionnaire:

As per the requirement of our project & to achieve the objective both consumer of
mineral water & retailers of mineral water were studied apart from studying about the
domestic packaged drinking water market, Brand Bisleri in detail.
For that close end questionnaire for the consumer & mix of open end & close end for
retailer were prepared.

Data Processing:
Daily data will be entered into MS-Excel sheets. After the exhaustion of the
specified geographical area this data will be analyzed using simple graphical and
tabulation techniques.

AnalyticalTools:
After collection of data another work necessary for any data collector is to correctly
analysis that data. So statistical tools helps us to correctly analysis the data .As I will
using here the softwarenamed Ms EXCEL for analysis of the data. I will using here
the software named Ms EXCEL for analysis of the data. I will use following
statistical tools:

Hypothesis Testing:
Chi-square test will be used when the set of observed frequencies obtained after
experimentation have to be supported by hypothesis or theory. The test is known as 2 test of
goodness of fit and is used to test if the deviation between observation (experiment) and
hypothesis may be attributed to chance (fluctuations of sampling). 2 also enables us to
explain whether or not two attributes are associated or related to each other

Q1.

How

often

do

you

a) Always 23
c) Often 36

consume
b)

d) Never 19
34

mineral

Sometimes

water?
32

15%

21%
a
b
c

34%

30%

Interpretation: According to the survey conducted in Delhi & its Ncr it was analyzed that 23% of
the users go for Bisleri Water always and 32% go sometimes for bisleri while there are still 36% who
often use bisleri and 19% never uses bisleri.

2.

When

a) Mineral water

27

b) Soft drink

73

felling

thirsty

you

opt

for?

interpretation: the above graph shows that there are 27% opt for mineral water
and 73 do not opt for mineral water when feel thirsty.

35

27%
a
b
73%

3.

a) 0-2

How

many

brands

of

mineral

63

b)

c)6-10 9

water

are

3-5

9%
a
63%

b
c
d

36

aware

of?
28

d) 10 and above 0

28%

you

Interpretation: the above graph shows that there are 63% consumers who know
0-2 brand of mineral water and 28% of consumers know 3-5 brands of mineral
water, 9 % of the consumer know 6-10 brands of mineral water and there 0% of
consumer who know 10 and above 10 brand of mineral water.

Q
a)
b)
c)
d)

4.

Under

what

While
During
When

circumstances

you

opt

for

traveling
parties,

drinking
During

water?
47

meeting,
water

mineral

is

illness

37

seminars

23

not

18

available

e)

Others

50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
a

Interpretation: The above graph shows that there are 47% of respondent uses the
mineral water while they travel and 23% of the respondent uses the mineral water
during parties, meeting, seminars 18% of the respondent use it when there are are
no drinking water available and 7% of the respondent use it during illness.

38

5.

Which

a) 500 ml

32

c) 5 Itr

size

of

bottle

do

you
b)

prefer?

ltr.

52

d) 20 Itr 12

45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
a

Interpretation: The above graph shows that 32% of the respondent prefer for
500ml of

bottle size 52% prefer for 1 ltr of

bottle while there are 4% of

respondent who prefer for 5 ltr of bottle size and 12% wants 20 ltr of bottle size.

Q6. Do you think mineral water is much more hygienic than normal water?
a) Yes 89

b)No

39

11

80%
70%
60%
50%
40%

67%

30%
20%

33%

10%
0%
yes

no

Interpretation: The above graph shows that there are 89% of respondent think that
mineral water are more hugienic than water while 11% respondent says no.

Q7. Do you think the price the companies are charging, is worth the product?
a) Yes
b) No

68
32

40

33%

67%

yes
no

Interpretation: There are 68% respondent who thinks the price which companies
are charging, is worth the product whereas 32% do not think so.

Q8. Does advertising of this product has any effect on your purchase?
a) Yes

75

b)No

25

41

33%
yes
no
67%

Interpretation: 75% of the respondent has an effect of advertising on their

purchase while 25% respondent has no effect of advertising on the purchase.

Q9. Do you think Indians are getting more health conscious day by day?
a) Yes
b) No

67
33

42

70%
60%
50%
67%

40%
30%

33%

20%
10%
0%
yes

no

Interpretation: The above graph is showing tha 67% of respondent thinks that
Indians are getting more health conscious day by day and 33% do not think so.
Q10.

Which

brand

do

you

prefer

while

buying

mineral

a) Bisleri

65

b) Kinley

18

c) Aquafina

13

d) other

43

water?

70%
60%
50%
40%

65%

30%
20%
18%

10%

13%

4%

0%
a

Interpretation: The above graph shows that 65% of the respondent prefer bisleri
while buying mineral water 18% prefer to buy kinley whereas 13% prefer aquafina
and 4% prefer other brand while buying the mineral water.

RETAILER'S QUESTIONNAIRE

QUESTIONS
44

l.

How

many

brands

of

mineral

water

do

you

sell

a) 2-3

53

b)3-5

24

c) 5-7

14

d) More

(specify)?

45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
a

Interpretation: The above graph shows that 53% of retailers sell 2-3 brands of
mineral water while 24% sell 3-5 brands of mineral water, 14% sell 5-7 brands of
mineral waterand there are 9% of retailers who sell more than 7 brands of mineral
water.

Q2.

What

types

of

brands

a) Advertised 47

do
b)

c) Both 21
45

you

Non-Advertised

have?
32

45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
a

Interpretation: The above graph shows that there are 47% retailers who keep
advertised brands 32% of retailers keep non-advertise brands and 21% if the
retailers keep both advertise and non-advertise brands of mineral water.
Q3.

Which

brand

is

selling

a) Bisleri 63

b)

c) Kinley 21

d) Others 4

46

Aquafina

more?
12

63%

70%
60%
50%
40%
30%

21%

20%

12%
4%

10%
0%
a

Interpretation: The retailer says that 63% they are selling bisleri, 12% aquafina,
21% kinley and 4% other brands of mineral water.

Q4.

Which

size

of

bottle

is

selling

a) 500 ml 37

b) 1 Itr 53

c)51tr

d) 20 Itr 5

47

more?

60%
50%
40%
30%

53%
37%

20%
10%

5%

5%

0%
a

Interpretation: The above graph shows that the selling of bottle size of 500ml is
37% where selling of the bottle size of 1 ltr is 53% and selling of bottle size of 5
ltr and 20 ltr is 5% and 5% respectively.

Q5.

On

which

a) Bisleri

53

c) Kinley

brand

do

you

get

more

b) Aquafma
d) Others

48

margins?
11
28

60%

53%

50%
40%

28%

30%
20%

11%

8%

10%
0%
a

Interpretation: The above graph shows that the profit margin of bisleri is highest
as retailers areearning 53% profit from bisleri, 11% and 8% from aquafina and
kinley respectively and 28% profit from other brands.

Q 6. Do you feel there is growth in the mineral water market in the last 5 years?
a) Yes 87

b)No 13

49

13%

a
b

87%

Interpretation: 87% of the respondent thinks that there are growth in the mineral
water market in the last 5 years, 13% do not think so.

7.

What

is

the

future

a) Excellent 44
c) Unlike

prospect

of

b)

19

d) Poor 5

50

this
Good

market?
32

5%
19%
44%

a
b
c

32%

Interpretation: The above graph shows that 44% respondent think that
future prospect of this market is excellent, 32% respondent says future
prospect is good and 5% respondent says its future prospect is poor.

51