"The space under the sink (where the water purifier is usually installed) in most families means big market potential for us," says Niclas Wullt, general manager of Bluewater, a brand owned by Blueblue AB, a privately-owned company in Sweden.

"Our studies have shown that most Chinese consumers will leave no stone unturned in their quest for clean, safe water. We are looking to fill that niche with our top-end water purifiers."

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Water purifiers flooding the market

Explaining the brand preferences, Wullt says of Chinese consumers:"If they like BMW, they buy the most expensive model with the best configuration. They have a similar attitude toward their kitchen also."

Though the maximizer was launched only last year in Sweden, its sister brand, the Blueair air purifier, is already a well-known product in the air purifier market.

Wullt says the entry-level Bluewater purifier costs 15,000 yuan while the top-end model "Bluewater Pro" costs 60,000 yuan. Most of the Chinese-made water purifiers are priced below 10,000 yuan, he says.

"Our target customers are the well-off customers who focus more on health, rather than the money - especially middle-class parents who want the best for their children," says Wullt. "If we can demonstrate that our products will make the difference, then it is not hard to sell them."

Looks also matter, he says, adding that unlike many other brands, the Bluewater purifiers look more like a compact box than bulky machines.

Most of the Chinese home appliance makers have already launched water purifiers. A report from consultancy firm AVC shows that domestic brands like Haier and Midea accounted for over 80 percent of the market last year. Another major foreign brand, A. O. Smith, said it sold about 140,000 water purifiers in China last year, and estimates the number to reach 220,000 this year.

Wullt says that Bluewater will not resort to price cuts or discounts to grow market share. Instead, he says, the company will bank on growing demand from high-end Chinese customers.