Bottled water may have slipped some in overall demand in 2009 (the latest year of record at this point), as compared to the double-digit growth rates it had going year-over-year prior to the end of the last decade, but the demand is still strong. The recession put a damper on the beverage industry in general, including carbonated soft drinks, the long-time industry leader in volumes of consumption. Even with the total amount of bottled water shipped dropping a few percent for the year, the industry still stood at over a whopping $10 billion industry, only slightly off its all-time highs of 2007.
Skinny Nutritional Corp. is the maker of Skinny Water® and is looking to capitalize on the strong demand for bottled water by setting itself apart with a zero-calorie enhanced water product. Although the Company has been somewhat quiet for the last couple months, record revenues of nearly $6 million dollars had been reported through the first nine months of 2010; a 53 percent increase over the same period in 2009.
Today, Skinny reported that it has expanded its distribution in the Western United States as its products are now available in all 325 Vons and 32 Pavilions store locations throughout southern California and Nevada. Vons, a subsidiary of Safeway, Inc., has been serving Southern California and Nevada communities for over 100 years spanning from San Diego to Fresno, California and Clark County, Nevada. Vons Pavilions, a grocery store banner under Vons, has been serving southern Californians and residents of Nevada with their vast selection of organic and specialty foods for more than 25 years. As with launches in other key markets of Skinny Water, the Companies will work together to build brand awareness through a variety of mediums including circular ad promotions displays, sampling events, and joint promotions.
Commenting on the new relationship, Joseph Gisondi, VP of National Retail Sales with Skinny Nutritional Corp., stated, “We are excited about our expansion with Vons and Pavilions as the latest retail chains to carry Skinny Water under the Safeway chain authorizations. The introduction of Skinny Water to key markets in Southern California brings us a step further to become a national brand and the support from our distributors has made this expansion possible. We are excited and poised to expand in additional national chains in 2011.”
The bottled water industry is still strong and gaining ground on the carbonated soft drink business. As the recession is slowly being put behind us, demand may pick back up to previous rapid growth levels. Trading today at just under four cents per share, Skinny Nutritional is climbing upward slowly from its all-time lows where the price touched three cents at the onset of January 2011. Investors will be on alert for the Q1 2010 sales report to see if the company’s growth continues.
More information on Skinny Nutritional Corp. and its complete line of products is available at www.skinnywater.com
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