After a successful pilot at four forecourts, Engen plans to rollout Pure Water On Tap nationally. “A refill using your own bottle will cost around R1 per litre. So a customer who brings in a 5L bottle will only pay R5 to top-up. Purchasing a pre-filled bottle also sells at a lower price. A 500ml prefilled bottle costs around R4.50,” says Seelan Naidoo, Engen’s retail business manager.
Another advantage is that for every litre purified, there is an additional 2 litres of water that can be recycled and used by dealers as grey water, and stored in JoJo Tanks.
“Approximately 35% of the total water category sales at our pilot sites can be attributed to the water bars. There has been a noticeable increase in the amount of top up customers.”
Whilst the theatre of the water bar is a drawcard, the health benefits of the end-product are innumerable. This is down to the technology whereby pure water is forced across a membrane, leaving impurities behind.
Engen’s sales and marketing GM, Joe Mahlo says, “As South Africans grapple with water quality, restrictions, drought and water constraints, we believe that our water bar offering is one way in which our customers can access good quality fresh water at affordable prices. In a small way, this concept assists customers in mitigating a dry future and activates a conservation mind set while also cutting back on costs.”
