Alkaline produces bottled alkaline and flavoured water. Credit: Steve Johnson on Unsplash.

US-based bottled drinking water producer The Alkaline Water Company (Alkaline) has announced the termination of the proposal to acquire bottled water manufacturer and distributor AQUAhydrate.

The deal was announced in September year after Alkaline signed a definitive merger agreement AQUAhydrate.

Both parties had the option to terminate the agreement on or before 31 January if the acquisition was not completed.

The Alkaline Water Company president and CEO Richard Wright said: “The termination of the transaction with AQUAhydrate allows us to focus all of our attention and resources on the core strategy of growing our flagship Alkaline88 brand and our A88CBD brand.

“We view the launch of our portfolio of CBD infused topical products as a massive opportunity for the Company, and we can now fully focus on pursuing the growth of Alkaline88, A88 Infused Flavors and A88CBD.”

Alkaline now intends to focus on the growth of its water brand Alkaline88, as well as launch an e-commerce website.

As part of the initiative, Alkaline collaborated with marketing agency Youtech to develop A88CBD website, offering CBD-infused topical products.

The website is expected for launch later this month on 20 February.

Initially, the site will offer CBD topical products including salves, balms, lotions, essential oils and bath salts.

Wright added: “The E-Commerce platform marks our aggressive launch into topicals as a result of our existing loyal customers’ and retail partners’ interest in our trusted brand.

“In the coming weeks, I would expect news and a direction with timelines for our highly anticipated and in-demand ingestible product portfolio.”