Mint Explainer | How Reliance is taking on Bisleri, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo with Campa Sure
Reliance is waging a two-front battle in India’s bottled water market, using Independence for groceries and Campa Sure for beverages — a strategy aimed at price wars and deeper distribution.
A ₹5 bottle of water. That’s the strategic weapon Reliance Consumer Products Ltd, part of Mukesh Ambani's sprawling conglomerate, is deploying to ignite a new price war—not just in fizzy drinks, but across India’s ₹30,000-crore bottled water market.
The conglomerate has launched Campa Sure, its second packaged water brand, priced to undercut even the segment leader (Bisleri’s 250ml retails around ₹5.50). Alongside its staples brand Independence, this dual-brand approach marks Reliance’s most direct challenge yet to rivals such as Bisleri, Coca-Cola (Kinley), and PepsiCo (Aquafina).
Mint explains how a seemingly small price difference could reshape the entire beverage battlefield.
What are Reliance’s two packaged water brands?
Reliance’s first packaged water brand, Independence, was launched in Gujarat in 2022 and later rolled out nationally. It sits within the company’s staples portfolio, which includes edible oils, rice, pulses, sugar, and atta — targeting value-conscious households and grocery shoppers. Packaged water under Independence is typically sold through Reliance’s own retail network and kirana stores.
Last week, Reliance introduced Campa Sure, a bottled water extension of its Campa soft drink brand. Campa, originally Campa Cola, was a popular Indian cola in the 1980s before liberalization. Reliance acquired and relaunched it in 2023, positioning it as a challenger to Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. Since then, Campa has expanded from tier-2 towns to metros like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, and Bengaluru. Campa Sure marks the brand’s entry into non-carbonated beverages, allowing Reliance to build a full beverage portfolio under one label — from fizzy drinks to bottled water.
Why does Reliance need two water brands?
The rationale lies in distribution and brand positioning.
Independence is part of Reliance’s grocery play, designed for households buying staples. Campa, by contrast, is a beverage-first brand with stronger consumer recall, especially among urban and younger audiences.
Selling water under Campa Sure allows Reliance to offer a unified beverage basket — cola, lemon soda, energy drinks, and now water — to distributors and retailers. This simplifies sales pitches and improves shelf visibility. If water were sold only under Independence, beverage distributors might hesitate to stock it alongside Campa drinks, as it would mean managing two separate product lines. Campa Sure solves this by bundling water into the beverage ecosystem.
This strategy mirrors global beverage giants. Coca-Cola sells water under Kinley, and PepsiCo under Aquafina — both part of their soft drink portfolios. Campa Sure gives Reliance a similar edge, helping it compete across categories with a single brand push.
How does Campa Sure strengthen Reliance’s beverage distribution?
Campa Sure helps Reliance deepen its reach in small retail outlets, paan shops, and local stores where brand familiarity drives impulse purchases. Campa’s expansion into metros means Reliance can now push bottled water alongside soft drinks in high-footfall areas.
Retailers prefer stocking brands that offer a full range of products. With Campa Sure, Reliance can offer a complete beverage suite under one name, improving margins and simplifying inventory. This also allows Reliance to compete more directly with Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, whose water brands are integral to their distribution strategy.
How is pricing being used to gain market share?
Reliance is deploying penetration pricing to scale Campa Sure quickly. A one-litre Campa Sure bottle is expected to retail at ₹15– ₹17, compared to ₹20– ₹22 for brands like Bisleri, Kinley, and Aquafina. A 250-ml bottle costs ₹5, making it one of the most affordable bottled water options in the market.
This allows the brand to penetrate in a very competitive space. This strategy is a familiar Reliance playbook. With its scale, logistics network, and local bottler partnerships, the company can sustain thin margins that competitors may struggle to match. The move pressures incumbents to lower prices or increase trade discounts — potentially reshaping pricing dynamics across India’s bottled water industry.
What’s Reliance’s broader game plan?
Reliance is using Campa Sure to intensify a price war across both the cola and bottled water segments. By bundling water into the same product line as its fizzy drinks, Reliance is directly undercutting global beverage giants like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo — not just with cheaper colas, but now with aggressively priced water as well. This also puts Campa Sure in direct competition with leading players such as Bisleri, sold by Parle Products Ltd, run by Ramesh Chauhan.
Besides, Campa's fight for distribution will be much tougher in metro cities. Urban consumers are spoilt for choice, with a growing number of regional mass-brands as well as VC-backed premium brands offering energy drinks and soft drink alternatives. In markets like Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru, competing on price alone may not guarantee successful long-term expansion.
topics
