31 May 2012 The Branson genius now applied to drinking water systems

Virgin has announced a partnership with Israel-based Strauss Water to rebrand its Strauss Water UK business as Virgin Pure, a system that filters water straight from mainline plumbing to provide consumers with purified chilled or boiling water “at the touch of a button.”

“I love businesses that help to improve our way of life,” Branson stated. “Pure, chilled and boiling drinking water at the touch of a button means no more lugging bottles home, waiting for filter jugs to trickle through or kettles to boil for that great cup of tea.”

While it might be a bit of a culture changer for all those tea drinkers out there (no more putting the pot on for a cuppa tea?), Virgin and Strauss see the UK market potential for their water systems at more than 10 million homes.

“Currently 20% of UK households choose bottled water as their primary source of drinking water and another 20% use filter jugs,” the Virgin Pure announcement notes.

“This represents 10 million British households who already drink bottled or treated water over standard tap water. With this market potential of over 10 million British households, the new partnership offers the best solution for people who are looking for a convenient hot and cold water solution.”

The new Virgin Pure website has details on products and pricing “from 50p a day.”

The systems cost from £299 to £379 (including installation) and the filters will need to be replaced every six months and the UV system that purifies the water every year. A Water Club subscription is part of the pitch, offering seven years of repair and parts replacement.