Harrods begins selling luxury water

In March, the luxury London department store Harrods began selling mineral water sourced directly from icebergs near the Norwegian islands of Svalbard, located about 1,000 km from the North Pole.

Marketed under the Svalbardi brand name and sold in designer bottles for £80 (around €95) a bottle, the water is extremely pure and is bottled strictly by hand to ensure that its natural composition remains intact.

Each expedition to the Svalbard islands produces 13,000 limited-edition bottles, and with just two shipments a year this is a major factor behind the high price tag. Moreover, luxury water is gaining in popularity in high-end restaurants, with the “water list” becoming a common fixture alongside the menu and wine list.

However, this trend is observed across all price segments. According to consulting firm Zenith Global, the global water market has grown at an annual rate of 9% in recent years to reach a turnover of US $147 billion, driven by changing lifestyles and growing health awareness amongst consumers.

Figures published by Beverage Marketing Corporation (BMC) reveal that water consumption in the United States in 2016 far exceeded that of sugary drinks.