Editing Perrier (section)

==History==
The spring in [[Southern France]] from which Perrier is drawn was originally known as ''Les Bouillens'' (The Bubbles). It had been used as a [[spa]] since [[Roman Empire|Roman]] times.<ref name="nid" /> According to the company, [[Hannibal]] and his army, having passed through Spain en route to his intended conquest of Rome   during 218 BC, decided to rest for a while at Les Bouillens, from which the men took water for refreshment.<ref>{{cite web
 |url          = http://www.perrier.com/fr/decouvrirperrier.html
 |publisher    = www.perrier.com
 |title        = Perrier. Une histoire unique
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20150429014125/http://www.perrier.com/fr/decouvrirperrier.html#unehistoireunique
 |archive-date = 2015-04-29
 |access-date  = 2021-05-14
 |url-status   = dead
}}</ref> 

Perrier was first introduced to Britain during 1863.<ref>{{cite web
 |url          = https://www.perrier.com/uk/since-1863/history/perrier-says-bonjour-britain
 |publisher    = www.perrier.com
 |title        = Perrier says, Bonjour Britain
 |archive-url  = https://archive.today/20210514163713/https://www.perrier.com/uk/since-1863/history/perrier-says-bonjour-britain
 |archive-date = 2021-05-14
 |access-date  = 2021-05-14
 |url-status   = dead
}}</ref> Local doctor Louis Perrier bought the spring in 1898 and operated a commercial spa there; he also [[bottled water|bottled]] the water for sale. He later sold the spring to [[St John Harmsworth]], a wealthy British visitor. Harmsworth was the younger brother of the newspaper magnates [[Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe|Lord Northcliffe]] and [[Harold Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere|Lord Rothermere]]. He had come to France to learn the language. Dr. Perrier showed him the spring, and he decided to buy it. He sold his share of the family newspapers to raise the money. Harmsworth closed the spa, as spas were becoming unfashionable. He renamed the spring ''Source Perrier'' and started bottling the water in distinctive green bottles. The shape was that of the [[Indian club]]s which Harmsworth used for exercise.<ref name="nid">{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.perrier.com/EN/entrezbulle/rubrique10.asp
 |publisher   = Nestlé Waters
 |title       = Discover the perrier story
 |access-date  = 2008-08-18
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20020311155704/http://www.perrier.com/EN/EntrezBulle/rubrique10.asp
 |archive-date = 2002-03-11
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2004/11/29/8192716/index.htm
| title = Troubled waters at perrier
| publisher = [[cnn.com]] [[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]
| access-date = 2006-07-28
| archive-url = https://archive.today/20130119094849/http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2004/11/29/8192716/index.htm
| archive-date = 2013-01-19
| author = Tomlinson, Richard
| date = 2004-11-29
| url-status = live
}}</ref>
[[File:Perrier advertisement in Life (magazine) on February 24, 1910.jpg|thumb|262x262px|Perrier advertisement in ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' on February 24, 1910]]
Harmsworth marketed the product in Britain at a time when Frenchness was seen as chic and aspirational to the middle classes. It was advertised as the [[Champagne]] of mineral water.{{NoteTag|There are Champagne houses by the name of [[Laurent-Perrier]] and [[Perrier-Jouët]], but there is no connection.}} Advertising in newspapers like the ''[[Daily Mail]]'' established the brand. For a time, 95% of sales were in Britain and the US.

Perrier's reputation for purity suffered a blow in 1990 when a laboratory in [[North Carolina]] in the [[United States]] found [[benzene]], a [[carcinogen]], in several bottles. Perrier stated that it was an isolated incident of a worker having made a mistake in filtering and that the spring itself was unpolluted. The incident ultimately led to the worldwide withdrawal of the product, some 160 million bottles of Perrier.<ref>{{cite news | first=George | last=James | title=Perrier Recalls Its Water in U.S. After Benzene Is Found in Bottles | date=1990-02-10 | url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9C0CE7D61F39F933A25751C0A966958260 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120530162812/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/10/us/perrier-recalls-its-water-in-us-after-benzene-is-found-in-bottles.html | archive-date=2012-05-30 | work=The New York Times | access-date=2007-09-19 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>White, Michael; ''A Short Course in International Marketing Blunders: Mistakes Made by Companies that Should Have Known Better, 3rd Edition''; World Trade Press 2009; chapter 1</ref>

Two years later in 1992, Perrier was bought by [[Nestlé]], one of the world's leading food and drink companies.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brandchannel.com/features_effect.asp?pf_id=237 |title=Perrier and Nestlé Brands &#124; Food and Beverage Industry &#124; Crisis Management in Branding |publisher=brandchannel.com 
|access-date=2012-06-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606170250/http://www.brandchannel.com/features_effect.asp?pf_id=237 |archive-date=2012-06-06 }}</ref> Nestlé had to contend with competition from the [[Agnelli family]] for ownership of the business.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/25/business/nestle-wins-a-big-battle-for-perrier.html|author=Cohen, Roger|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210514192106/https://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/25/business/nestle-wins-a-big-battle-for-perrier.html|archive-date=14 May 2021|title=Nestle Wins A Big Battle For Perrier|date=25 March 1992|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=4 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2004, a crisis erupted when Nestlé announced a restructuring plan for Perrier. The following year, Perrier was ordered to halt restructuring due to a failure to consult adequately with staff.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten-2005-03/artikel-1881230.asp |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120530162935/http://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten-2005-03/1881230-nestle-waters-criticised-by-french-court-as-perrier-restructuring-suspended-020.htm |archive-date=2012-05-30 |title=Perrier Restructuring Halted |publisher=Finanznachrichten.de |date=2005-03-14 |access-date=2012-06-05 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In April 2024, following reports that products had been contaminated with [[Waterborne disease|germs]] of possible [[Fecal–oral route|faecal origin]], an estimated 2.9 million bottles of Perrier water were destroyed before reaching the market. This was followed by an announcement in June that year that one-litre bottles of Perrier Vert would be pulled from the French market after a majority of wells used to capture the water at the Vergèze manufacturing site had their use terminated, suspended or diverted to other product lines, following a product safety inspection at the manufacturing site on 30 May conducted by government agencies.<ref name="DupinFranceinfo">{{cite news |last1=Dupin |first1=Marie |title=Après la contamination de plusieurs puits, Perrier a suspendu la production de ses bouteilles d'un litre |url=https://www.francetvinfo.fr/enquetes-franceinfo/enquete-franceinfo-perrier-a-stoppe-la-production-de-ses-bouteilles-d-un-litre_6602661.html |access-date=17 June 2024 |work=Franceinfo |publisher=France Télévisions |date=14 June 2024 |language=fr}}</ref><ref name="MimouniBFM">{{cite news |last1=Mimouni |first1=Sabrine |title=Pourquoi les bouteilles d'un litre de Perrier ont disparu des rayons |url=https://rmc.bfmtv.com/conso/alimentation/pourquoi-les-bouteilles-d-un-litre-de-perrier-ont-disparu-des-rayons_AN-202406140566.html |access-date=17 June 2024 |work=BFM RMC Conso |publisher=BFMTV.com |date=14 June 2024 |language=fr}}</ref>