(Yicai) July 3 -- VOSS, a Norwegian bottled water brand owned by Chinese investment firm Reignwood Group, targets high-net-worth individuals and trendy youth to probe new consumption scenarios in China, according to the head of marketing of its country arm.

Shanghai is an important market for VOSS, being the easiest entry market for international brands, where residents have good taste, so the company believes mid-to-high-end products have great potential there, Zhong Hao told Yicai. The firm's overall sales performance in the city has been very good, seeing the most brand activity there, he added.

Many brands have started a premium water business in China as local consumers turn to healthier, high-end drinking water. The retail market size of the country's high-end mineral water industry jumped 8.3 percent last year from the prior one and may grow 5.7 percent this year, according to a report by industrial research institute Gonyn.

VOSS' strategy over the next three to five years is mainly to expand based on sales channels and hopes to occupy the mid-to-high-end sectors, Zhong noted. With traditional characteristics and advantages, catering will be the firm's key channel in the next three years, in addition to high-star hotels, prestigious nightclubs, and movie theaters, he pointed out.

VOSS partners with premium hotel chains in China, including InterContinental Hotels Group, Hyatt Hotels, and Marriott International. It has also selected high-quality retail terminals, such as Sam's Club and Alibaba Group's Freshippo, to position itself better where target consumers are likely to shop.

VOSS also tries to attract trendy youth, in addition to high-net-worth individuals, as they are interested in new things, pursue and aspire to good values, and are willing to try, according to Zhong. In one or two decades, they will be owners of a better life, he added.

Online, VOSS publishes content that matches that on social media platforms, while offline, it embraces nightclubs and movie theaters that are popular with young people and collaborates with new consumer brands that fit its tone.

Regarding whether the rising costs of raw materials will impact VOSS' strategy, Zhong said that the company is not sensitive to that because its main goal is to expand the market to achieve cost-sharing rather than cost control.

Editor: Martin Kadiev