PARIS, Feb. 19, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Please be informed that the following news was released by Nestle Waters:
-- A few days after announcing the acquisition of Powwow, the
number one HOD operator in Western Europe, Nestle Waters acquires
the Russian leader in the HOD business: Clear Water.
-- Following the acquisition in July 2002 of Saint Springs,
one of the main local brands in small formats, Nestle Waters has
established a solid base for further development of its water
business in Russia.
Nestle Waters announced today the acquisition of the Clear Water group, the leader in bottled water Home & Office Delivery (HOD) in Russia. Founded in 1993, Clear Water was one of the companies who pioneered the dynamic HOD business in Russia.
The HOD sector is set for a promising future in Russia, showing an outlook of durable growth of over 30% per year. In order to take full advantage of this consumer enthusiasm and of growing bottled water awareness, Clear Water set up a bottling factory & distribution center, in 2001, close to Moscow, with the capacity to supply up to 120,000 clients in the greater Moscow area.
In 2002 Clear Water should reach sales of over 15 million euros, thanks to a portfolio including more than 40,000 clients, mostly in the Moscow and Saint Petersburg regions of Russia.
Following the purchase of Saint Springs in July 2002, this acquisition enables Nestle Waters to take a leading position in Russia, the most highly populated country in Europe (140 million inhabitants). The combination of Saint Springs' HOD activities (accounting for almost 25% of its revenue, through 20,000 clients) and those of Clear Water will help to build an efficient and solid HOD platform in Russia.
Nestle Waters has been present in Russia for many years, through a distribution office that oversees sales of its top international brands, Perrier, Vittel and S. Pellegrino. Those brands, along with Saint Springs' retail business and the combination of Clear Water and Saint Springs' HOD operations, will position Nestle Waters firmly in all segments of the growing Russian bottled water market.
Nestle Waters is the Nestle Group's bottled water division. With sales over 5 billion euros (7.5 billion CHF) in 2001, Nestle Waters leads the bottled water business worldwide.