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Mr David Jacob, Vice-President, Shaw Wallace Breweries Ltd, displays the Royal Challenge packaged drinking water in Hyderabad.

HYDERABAD, Feb. 6

SHAW Wallace Breweries Ltd (SWBL), part of the $2-billion Jumbo Group launched Royal Challenge packaged drinking water, soda and sparkling water, here on Thursday.

Royal Natural Spring Pvt Ltd, a franchisee of SWBL, is manufacturing all the three products.

According to Mr David Jacob, Vice-President of SWBL, the foray in the packaged drinking water segment blends well with SWBL alcoholic beverage brands and is therefore a strategic fit. "It will provide us better opportunities for brand communication."

Mr Jacob told newspersons that the products would be launched in all major metros in the country in the next six months. They were launched in Bangalore in December 2002. The company was targeting a 5 per cent share in the Rs 2,000-crore market for packaged drinking water in the country. In Andhra Pradesh, he was expecting a 15 per cent market share.

He said that the Royal Challenge Premium Sparkling Water was the only domestic brand of sparkling water available in the country. Sparkling water, as against commonly available still water, has fizz in it and was considered to be a milder form of soda worldwide. It has less carbon dioxide compared with soda. It was priced at Rs 12 per bottle of 500 ml.

When asked about the presence of pesticide residues in major brands of drinking water in the country, Mr Jacob said that the "controversy is based on somebody not following the prescribed process. If the process is followed, such residues will not exist".

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