While the big debate of the last few days revolves around the French consumption of tap water, Danone believes in the future of bottled water and is considering taking control of Perrier and San Pellegrino.
In the midst of “plastic bashing“, the Swiss giant Nestlé is considering giving up control of its Nestlé Waters branch, which includes Perrier and San Pellegrino, according to information from Figaro. This news seems to please the French brand Danone, which has been on the case for several years.
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More specifically, the agri-food leader Nestlé is considering “disengaging from its bottled water business” , the daily newspaper emphasizes. “The new management will evaluate its strategy for this business. This will include exploring partnership opportunities to enable Nestlé's emblematic brands and growth pillars to reach their full potential” , the new boss of the Swiss company had declared a few weeks ago.
This announcement is enough to delight its main French rival, Danone. According to information from Figaro, the French food multinational would like to buy two brands: San Pellegrino and Perrier, whose source is located in Vergèze in the Gard.
“It is not the priority, but if there is an interesting opportunity, of course we will look at it”, confirmed a source from Danone. But this acquisition is not a secret and has been in the pipeline for several years. “There have already been negotiations in recent years between the two groups on this activity”, a banker told the daily.
This project is in line with the intentions of the director of the Danone group, Antoine de Saint-Affrique, whose objective is: growth. “In France, there is a culture of natural mineral water that remains very important. And elsewhere in the world, bottled water is the only way for certain populations to have access to it. drinking water. Demand is very high there”, says a Danone spokesperson.
After more than 30 years under Swiss control , Perrier would be on the verge of becoming French again ? A case to follow in the coming months.