Reliance Challenges Bottled Water Giants with Campa Sure at ₹15, Igniting New Price War in ₹20,000 Crore Industry
Reliance Challenges Bottled Water Giants with Campa Sure at ₹15, Igniting New Price War in ₹20,000 Crore Industry
Making a bold entry into the competitive bottled water space, Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries has launched two new packaged drinking water brands—Campa Sure and Independence—with pricing designed to undercut well-established players such as Bisleri, Kinley, and Aquafina.
Campa Sure enters the market at just ₹15 for a 1-litre bottle, significantly lower than the ₹20 typically charged by competitors. The price advantage extends to its 2-litre bottle, offered at ₹25 compared to the ₹30–₹35 range from rival brands. Reliance’s second offering, Independence, adds further pricing pressure, with its 1.5-litre bottle available at ₹20.
The strategy is a familiar one. By offering high-demand products at substantially lower prices, Reliance has disrupted entire industries before. Jio reshaped India’s telecom landscape, while Campa Cola’s revival challenged dominant soft drink brands. The same aggressive market-entry playbook is now being applied to bottled water.
“Reliance is once again using a low-price strategy to capture volume, similar to what it did with Jio and Campa Cola,” a sector analyst told Moneycontrol.
This pricing tactic not only captures consumer attention but also helps Reliance secure shelf space across retail outlets—an important factor in a high-volume, low-margin category like bottled water. The segment, currently valued at over ₹20,000 crore, continues to see growing demand amid rising health and hygiene awareness.
However, affordability alone won’t ensure success. Bottled water is a trust-driven category. Consumers prefer brands they believe deliver purity, safety, and consistent quality—attributes that Bisleri and Kinley have spent decades building. To make a lasting impact, Reliance will need to ensure stringent quality control and reliability.
Scaling operations in this space is also no small feat. Manufacturing plants, bottling infrastructure, rigorous quality checks, and a cold-chain-enabled logistics network are essential to achieving the kind of nationwide presence Reliance typically targets.
Amit Purohit of Elara Capital, in a report cited by Moneycontrol, highlighted the challenge ahead: “The impact of the new launch will depend on how quickly Reliance can scale its distribution.”
