NEWS

“We see this as a growth opportunity,” Coca-Cola European Partners chair, Sol Daurella says about the birth of the world’s largest independent Coke bottler.

The merger creating the world’s largest independent Coca-Cola bottler closed over the weekend, combining the operations of Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE), Coca-Cola Iberian Partners (CCIP) and Coca-Cola Erfrischungsgetränke GmbH (CCEG).

Coca-Cola European Partners will serve more than 300 million consumers across 13 countries in Western Europe, including the region’s four largest markets for nonalcoholic ready-to-drink (NARTD) beverages: Germany, Spain, Great Britain and France.

The landmark deal combines the complementary strengths and local relationships of the three partner bottlers, positioning the Coca-Cola system to compete more effectively across multiple beverage categories through a world-class production, sales and distribution platform.

“For us in Norway, this means that we becomes a part of a large, new community of European Coca-Cola producers. This does not involve any changes in the production structure in Norway, however we are now well-established for growth and better equipped to meet the demands for the future beverage market,” Stein Rømmerud,  VP and Country Director of Coca-Cola European Partners in Norway, says.