The Coca-Cola Company: Bottling Strategies in Soft Drinks (World)

Actively refranchising

TCCC actively refranchised its global bottling operations with the establishment of CCR in North America and independent bottler CCE in Western Europe.

US regional bottlers

While CCR may give TCCC better control over its brands and a better focus on marketing, the use of regional independent bottlers is likely to maximise local expertise.

Health and wellness challenge and opportunities

Consumer demand for healthy products is growing, while the sluggishness in sales of cola carbonates represents a challenge for all bottlers. Bottlers are exploring natural sweeteners for some key brands. Juice, RTD tea and bottled water show a broad appeal in many markets.

Coca-Cola Hellenic gets listing in London and NY

Hellenic’s diverse geographic spread represents a strength, and its listing on international stock exchanges will allow it to gain exposure in international capital markets to fund further growth. Hellenic needs to look to develop a natural mineral water brand in Russia to capture the boom.

Coca-Cola FEMSA acquisitive mood

Together with its parent company, Coca-Cola FEMSA appeared to be the most active acquirer among its peers. The Filipino bottler acquisition marked a milestone of going beyond Latin America. Its parent’s expansion in the foodservice and retail sector demonstrated the manufacturers’ ambition to control beverage supply chain in foodservice.

Developing own brands

Faced with consumer switching to still beverages, some bottlers might feel TCCC’s NPD in still beverages is insufficient to offset the sluggishness in carbonates. In some instances, bottlers could be a little bolder in developing their own still brands and co-operating with other companies for more robust growth.

What this report includes

• Top-level strategic analysis of how major consumer trends will influence global markets
• Consumer insight
• Impact across all relevant consumer markets
• Unique graphics and case studies
• Key market snapshots
• Accompanying presentation to synthesise main findings

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