As companies continue to position bottled water as a healthier refreshment, the category saw sales rebound across segments leading to an overall category boost of 2.9 percent for more than $7.7 billion in sales, according to SymphonyIRI Group, Chicago, for the 52 weeks ending May 15 in U.S. supermarkets, drug stores, gas and convenience stores and mass merchandise outlets, excluding Wal-Mart.
Earlier this year, the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), Alexandria, Va., released that overall consumption of bottled water increased 3.5 percent in the United States in 2010. The association released its 2010 bottled water statistics, which were compiled by Beverage Marketing Corp. (BMC).