There’s nothing we like better than our bottles being recycled/reused for exciting and innovative projects, particularly if they’re artistically inspired and will bring a lot of people a lot of joy. So can you imagine our delight when we discovered Tom Boyd, who recently came in and purchased some of our old bottles, used them to create a new ‘home’/shack as part of a competition run by the Shangri-La area at Glastonbury Festival, encouraging entrants to ‘Build a Palace from Pallets’, which is exactly what our chum did. The aim of the competition was to encourage people to think about using inventive means and resources to build shelters, while getting the viewers to think about what they’re actually seeing. In the case of our bottles, the idea of the piece is to highlight the importance of using materials in a way that might not be their original purpose for being created, and also to encourage to think about water shortage throughout the world, as well as preserving other precious resources. If you’re heading to Glastonbury this year, be sure to keep an eye out for this, and the other inventive constructions!

Bottled Water Cooler Contemporary art, Glastonbury, the water delivery company

The Water Delivery Company were asked to comment on the arguments for sale and rental options for water coolers – and our summary was published in the April/May 2010 edition of cooler innovation.You can view the original version by clicking on the link - the-water-delivery-company-cooler-innnovation-may-2010.

“In the light of coolers becoming cheaper to buy, how can the rental business retain an ‘added value’ service and what factors must rentals companies focus on to maintain a foothold in the cooler market?”

The water cooler business in the UK is definitely showing signs of maturity. Customers have options between bottleless and bottled water coolers, drinking water fountains are growing in popularity and companies are increasingly having to deal with customers who are significantly more educated regarding pricing and service options by comparing water cooler companies online.

UK water cooler companies that simply look to protect their rental income streams will struggle and ultimately fail in the future. The Water Cooler industry needs to adapt to a changing environment and look to build long term service relationships, with both purchase and rental customers, that ensure long term protected revenue streams.

It must also be remembered that customers don’t purchase water coolers simply because they are cheaper to buy. Many choose to use capital budgets for equipment such as water coolers and therefore rental options are simply not applicable. This is especially true of the customers who use our specialist website – www.drinkingwaterfountains.co.uk. Drinking Water Fountains are often installed in buildings during a kit out and therefore fall in capital budgets. So which ever way you look at it rental water cooler businesses need to provide purchase options for customers, and given the way there are increasing options online for purchasing these rental companies need to provide competitive pricing.

When I first came into the industry seven years ago rental companies would often only be offering limited purchase options and these were priced at extreme markups – and I can almost guarantee that these were offered to persuade people that rental was the cheaper option. With transparency of pricing online this simply does not stack up. The water cooler industry must adapt itself to normal retail margins as there will be significant amount of “box shops” who will compete at these levels. More importantly they will also survive as businesses with these margins.

If water cooler companies look to building long term service relationships with both rental and purchase customers they are also able to build a business with long term revenue streams. As long as margins are right we can therefore build businesses with the trained engineers and well paid staff can support the customers’ water cooler experience. So adapt to the perceived “threat” of water coolers for sale, and then structure the pricing and service options within your business carefully – there will always be certain products with higher margins than others.

For these reasons and many, many more the water cooler industry needs to nurture innovation and weave the ability to adapt into the very fabric of its being. There are water cooler companies in the UK which have already embraced this.

Bottled Water Cooler water cooler

Battersea is a great place to live- beautiful, spacious park, easy access to central London and the surrounding areas, thriving nightlife and culture, and stunning accommodation with some of the best views in the city. Not only this, but Battersea is home to the nationally known Dogs’ Home, which provides a loving environment for many of the capital’s strays- however, once at the home they’re often not there for too long, as the re-homing scheme run by the centre is extremely successful.
Being real pet lovers ourselves, we are proud to offer a range of goodies and water coolers for your own Battersea-based beloved pooches (or dogs located anywhere in London, for that matter), such as the widely celebrated pet dispenser, which will keep your delectable doggy hydrated for days, by releasing water at regular intervals- perfect for those of us who travel and find it tricky to get someone to watch the pets. Not only this, but we’ll offer a regular and efficient water delivery, should you so desire it, brought to your door by our own friendly, charming engineers. They’ll even pat the dog (if they’re allowed).
If you have any questions about any of our products, please do get in touch, and we’ll be happy to answer any queries you might have.

Bottled Water Cooler home water coolers, Pet dispensers, water cooler Battersea

The well-loved institution that is British comedy seems to have done nothing but get better and better throughout the Naughties. Series such as Peep Show and Green Wing entice audience onto their sofas week after week, along with golden oldies that remain some of the best shows around (who watched Monty Python this Christmas? We certainly did). We must not, however, forget one of the most talked about classics of the decade- The Office. Proving that the office water cooler is definitely the most interesting place to be, at any time, and that the chat around it is to be marvelled at, Ricky Gervais and his genius team of writers and actors created comic gold. With lovable characters such as the awkward Gareth, and the shy Tim, along with the cringe worthy David, the show delves into the secret life of pencil-pushers, most of which hits the right note because we recognise something of ourselves in what we see on screen. The Office began in July 2001, and ran for two incredibly successful series, as well as filming two Christmas specials.
If you have another favourite “water cooler” drama that we have overlooked, do get in touch and enlighten us- we always love to hear from you!

Bottled Water Cooler Bottled Water Cooler, Office water cooler, The Office

We at Water cooler Camden can barely believe we’re so far through 2010 already; it’s clearly all the fun we’ve been having looking after our customers, installing new water coolers, and of course meeting all our new clients and getting to know them a little. We have however somewhat neglected our New Year’s resolutions, so we thought we’d have a quick whip round the office and see what we’ve all decided to do for the rest of the year:
Rob: Keep training for and run the London Marathon in under three hours. Tricky but doable!
Sophie: Stop being the sneaky person who always finishes the bottle on the water and leaves it for someone else to change. I do feel guilty for my past behaviour, honestly!
Tom: To indulge and treat myself all year long (we like this one the best, definitely).
Dan: Keep up the excellent work with our new clients, and get that water out to them efficiently. And it’ll last into next year, too!
Marlon: Treat my workmates to delicious baked goods as an act of good will and to increase motivation from the team. This will occur at least once a week until 2011 (we’ve changed our mind, this is our favourite).
If you have any questions about our products or our service (or our new year’s resolutions), please do get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you!

Bottled Water Cooler New Year's Resolutions, water cooler Camden, water coolers

We found this article in the Food Bev online magazine of great interest and encourage anyone looking into the environmental impact of bottle water to read it.

“A new study finds that water, in all its forms, has the least environmental impact of any beverage choice. And when compared to other packaged beverages, including soft drinks, sports drinks, enhanced waters and juices, bottled water has the lightest environmental footprint.”

The full article can be seen at –  www.foodbev.com/report/bottled-waters-has-lightest-environmental-footprint

Bottled Water Cooler, Bottled Water and the Environment Environmental Concerns, Water Environmental Footprint

We search the Internet for new ideas that may change how we distribute our products – and also store/stack our products.

And this week we found the new design by designer Yujin Kim showcased in the Yanko Design online magazine –  the 19 litre stackable water bottle. A simple indent at the base of the bottle provides a space for the neck of the bottle below – and thus allows for the stacking of 19 litre bottles.  This is one of those ideas that has quickly moved its way around the Internet – but thus far we have been unable to find any evidence that it has moved past a conceptual stage.

Issues as we see them are as follows -

1) Will the weight of one/two bottles ontop of another put excess strain on the bottle at the bottom

2) At what height can they be stored to – surely the design will lead people to try and stack four or five bottles high which would have its obvious dangers.

3) Will customers be happy to pay for storage space where they would have otherwise had water. This design will hold less water than a normal 19 litre water bottle.

4) Will the stacking in any way affect the integrity of the cap at the top of the bottle.

A similar idea for small pack bottles was launched last year by a Canadian company – www.addvanced.net/products.html – and this may have a definite impact in the world of water packaging.

As shown online and in the photos below – sometimes a great illustration speaks a thousand words.

Bottled Water Cooler 19 litre water bottle

Islington council, who proudly call themselves one of the greenest boroughs in London, have decided to pull the plug on funding for office water coolers, stating that precious funds are being wasted on frivolities such as these when there is nothing wrong with drinking from the tap.
Following the laws that all employers must provide clean, suitable drinking water for their workers to keep hydrated, we at water cooler Islington feel that this idea will not necessarily be appreciated by everyone, particularly when employees have become accustomed to drinking delicious, fresh spring water from a state-of-the-art cooler, for their convenience and luxury. On the other hand, with the city of London footing the bill for the 2012 Olympics, as well as doing everything possible to help with climate change and keeping the city greener, maybe this initiative isn’t such a bad idea.
What are your views on this motion? Are you an employee in Islington who has been/potentially will be affected by this, and if so, how? Do let us know your experiences and thoughts, we always love to hear from you, and we may use your stories in our blog if you so allow! We look forward to hearing from you.

Bottled Water Cooler office water coolers, the water delivery company, Water cooler Islington

In an age where security is always tight and we’re being constantly watched, it seems as though even the office water cooler will soon cease to be a private place to be alone with your thoughts, according to legislations in the United States which are being pushed for by Government Officials. With so many people so worried about imminent attacks on major cities around the world, those who work in the City of London may find their water cooler in Westminster under surveillance in the not-too-distant future.
There are varying views on this proposal, with some deeming it unnecessary and an invasion of employees’ privacy, and some wondering where the line will be drawn with placing CCTV cameras around the office (no more playing on Facebook for a quick five minutes here or there). Others support the idea, feeling under threat from imminent danger, and would rather not take the risk in failing to have the cameras, and thus feel like they’re putting themselves in danger on a daily basis.
If you have a comment or idea about this, or indeed any of our products or services, please feel free to leave it at the bottom of the blog or of course get in touch- we always love to hear from you!

Bottled Water Cooler CCTV in London, office water coolers, water cooler Westminster

Many of us are self-employed, which can mean lots of long days at home, with only your laptop/home office/cat/dog/puppy/iguana/any other exotic pet you might have for company. The hours often drag by, and ways in which to break up the day and make it more interesting become sparser. This is where we can help. If you’re in the Balham area and are in need of a little break in your day, we can send round one of our water cooler Balham guys to come and a) install a wonderfully useful, good-looking and hydrating water cooler, and b) pop in every week to bring you a supply of spring water. Who knows, they might even be able to stay for a cuppa; taste in biscuits vary enormously among the engineers, details are available on request. So give yourself a treat and invest in a water cooler, Balham style (that is, trendy and hip and up-and-coming). They can also be used for office role play (if you miss the office environment); simply rope friends/relatives/exotic pets into playing the parts of your colleagues, whilst you assume role of high-and-mighty-all-commanding boss. Great fun for all, we’re sure you’ll agree.
If you have any questions about any of our water coolers, for Balham or any other area of London, or about which biscuits we prefer, then please get in touch!

Bottled Water Cooler Bottled Water Cooler, home water coolers, Water cooler Balham