The only water store in North America encounters critics who say its product is unnecessary and destructive
The Latin American Oprah was in Hunts Point last November. Surrounded by body guards and police, Cristina Saralegui, the queen of Spanish talk TV, arrived on Southern Boulevard for the grand opening of the only retail water store in the United States.
Sarelegui is the face of Nestle, the multi-national food giant whose liquid products include Poland Spring, Deer Park and Nestle Pure Life from Maine, and the imported brands Perrier, San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, among others.
What’s a glossy 2,000 square foot store devoted entirely to selling water and water-related products like pumps and hot- and cold-water dispensers doing in a neighborhood dominated by bodegas and delis, where many residents struggle to pay for life’s essentials?
Assistant Store Manager Victor Nunez, a slender, stylish young man in his 20s, describes Nestle Pure Life as “a business that meets the needs of a community” by providing healthier water to the neighborhood.
Boris Vergara, the store manager, says Nestle is a part of “our culture,” because it is a brand with a strong hold on Latin and Caribbean markets, where, he points out, many Hunts Point residents were born.
But while the press release announcing the store’s grand opening quotes Saralegui saying, “The Nestlé Pure Life Mercado del Agua provides access to purified water in a variety of sizes to the Hispanic community, helping them maintain a healthy lifestyle with the benefits of water,” critics dispute that claim.
Environmentalists warn that transporting water from far-flung sites adds to global warming; they worry about depleting aquifers; and they contend that commercializing water from poor nations deprives the people who live there of a precious resource. The plastic bottles, they add, end up in landfills.
Consumer advocates argue that people are being induced to spend on a product they can obtain for free. New York City even launched an ad campaign to promote the benefits of tap water.
Asked what’s wrong with the water in Hunts Point, Nunez said the “tap water is not safe, because the plumbing in many of the buildings is old, resulting in heavy metals coming into people’s homes.” He added, “There is bacteria in the water.”
Not so, according to Jaime Stein, environmental policy analyst for Sustainable South Bronx. City water “is great,” she said, and the city has stricter health and safety standards than bottling companies.
“If there is concern about faulty plumbing and water quality, home owners and tenants can call New York City’s Department of Environmental to check their water quality,” stressed Mrs. Stein. “The entire process is free.” (DEP customer service can be reached by calling 888-426-7433.)
Gigi Pena, a regular at the store since it opened, was unconvinced. “It’s good to have a water store here,” she said. “You have a better chance to get good water.” She buys bottled water for her cousin because “Regular water upsets her stomach and these don’t,” she said.
Market research brought Nestle to Hunts Point. The research found that people wanted five-gallon water containers, but that home delivery was expensive, said Joe Juliano, Nestle’s National Manager Retail Channel. “There is a nice Hispanic population,” Juliano added, which led the company to believe it could build on its success in Latin America, where water retail stores are thriving.
At the brightly-lit store, where the open floor design makes it easy for customers to browse the vast selection of bottled water, Nunez enthusiastically points out several brands.
A two-and-a-half-gallon container of Poland Spring water costs $4 at the store. Staples sells a case of 24 half-liter bottles—about 3.2 gallons—for $5.99 and of Nestle Pure Life for $4.99.
The water store charges an additional $5 deposit as an incentive for customers to return the containers for recycling. ”It helps reduce the amount of litter on the streets,” Nunez proudly explains. There is also a cash incentive for the return of smaller water bottles: 5 cents per bottle toward the customer’s next purchase.
Hand pumps started at $9.99, and hot and cold coolers were on sale for $129.99, down from $179.99 on a recent visit. Most customers pay cash, Nunez said.
Asked about the store’s revenue, Vergara didn’t offer numbers, but said business has picked up as the weather got warmer and more people were out.
A cooler at the front of the store offers free Nestle Pure Life. On a recent visit students lined up for a drink. “We are trying to be a part of the community and bring water to people,” Juliano said.
“Healthy, delicious, clean, zero calories,” New York City’s advertising campaign for its water boasts. “Some kids who have grown up around bottled water get the (false) impression that NYC tap water is no good. Not true! NYC water is clean, safe, and (many people say) the best-tasting anywhere.”
“We are not trying to compete with New York City water,” responds Juliano. “The position of the company is that we want people to drink more water, whether it comes from a bottle or tap.”