Coca-Cola has today finalised details of its ready-to-drink (RTD)
coffee joint venture with Italy-based Illycaffè in a bid to further
diversify its non-carbonated portfolio of brands.
This week, UK group Britvic finds the country's consumers demand
for beverages changing and PepsiCo targets functional demand
with the launch of a new range of waters.
Coca-Cola posted a 20 per cent improvement in operating revenues,
amounting to $28.8bn during the full fiscal year as the company
harnessed its international presence to drive growth in both its
carbonated and non-carbonated brands.
Coca-Cola will acquire a 40 per cent stake in US-based organic
beverage group Honest Tea, as part of an ongoing drive to focus on
non-carbonated alternatives for its brands.
Soft drink maker AG Barr is to expand into the burgeoning market
for functional beverages and waters with the acquisition of the
Vitsmart and Vitaminsmart labels from Chartered Brands.
Sales of children's beverages in the US declined by four per cent
last year to $4.6bn over the same period in 2006, as concerns over
obesity and child health increasingly shape the market, research
has found.
This week, Heineken goes shopping in Belarus; Coca-Cola remains
tip-lipped on Honest Beverages deal; and a US energy drink brand
steps up its distribution in the country.
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo continued to dominate the soft drinks market
in 2006 accounting for more than a third of global sales in the
sector, according to market analyst Euromonitor.
The Coca-Cola Company hopes to meet growing demand for
ready-to-drink coffee products by announcing yesterday that it
will extend an agreement with Italian group Illycaffè to form a
three-way joint venture with one of its bottling...
In what is proving a busy week for the beverage business, Scottish
& Newcastle may be bought out by a consortium of rival brewers,
while profitability is up for soft drink manufacturers the
Coca-Cola Co. and Britvic.
Pepsi and Unilever are to extend their agreement over distribution
and marketing of the Lipton ready-to-drink tea brand to target a
growing global demand for the products..
The environment, corporate governance and workers rights are
transforming the way managers oversee their global manufacturing
operations, as demonstrated in Coca-Cola's second report on its
progress in these areas.
Emerging markets in Europe and Asia continue to boost the global
profitability of Coca-Cola's brands as two of its regional bottlers
yesterday posted optimistic growth expectations for the fiscal
year.
Private investment firm Lion Capital yesterday became the
latest foreign firm to enter the burgeoning Russian fruit juice
market through the acquisition of local manufacturer Nidan.
Coca-Cola's German bottlers yesterday agreed to consolidate their
operations under a single company to better tap the growing
potential of its brands in the country.
Coca-Cola's Latin American arm posted a 7.4 per cent rise in
sales to €2.3bn during the second quarter of the year, as
its soft drinks brands led across-the-board revenue
growth.
Coca-Cola Enterprises posted a four per cent increase in sales
to $5.6bn (€4bn) for its second quarter as it continues
to restructure its operations amidst changing consumer demand in
the soft drinks market.
Nestle today refused to confirm reports that they had turned down a
merger with PepsiCo last spring, a deal that would have created one
of the largest and most powerful food and beverage companies in the
world.
Riding the trend for natural ingredients in food and drink
products, Wild says its natural ACE beverage concept - which uses
vitamins exclusively derived from organic sources - is boosting
flagging sales in the beverage sector.
Coca-Cola Hellenic bottling company yesterday announced it has
agreed to acquire Russian beverage group Aquavision as it aims to
tap the full potential for soft drink sales in the country.
Coca-Cola is launching a lighter-weight bottle for its major brands
in the UK, fulfilling a pledge to reduce the amount of
packaging used for its products, the company said today.
Coca-Cola will market Campbell's range of
vegetable-based juice brands in North America as it moves to
expand its presence in the non-carbonated drinks market.
Coca-Cola today pledged to overhaul how it uses water
throughout its operations and bottling franchises in a drive for
greater environmental sustainability.
A former Coca-Cola worker was sentenced to eight years in prison
this week for stealing and attempting to sell Coca-Cola trade
secrets to its rival, PepsiCo.
Soft drinks maker Britvic had sales of carbonated and still soft
drinks ahead of the UK market in its first half, an encouraging
sign for the industry's prospects.
Beverage giant Coca-Cola has started the year on a high, posting
its strongest first quarter results in half a decade due to growth
in key international markets.
Plans to cut 3,500 jobs in a restructuring drive at Coca-Cola's
main bottling arm may lead to widespread industrial action in the
US, warned a prominent union for soft drinks sector workers.
Coca-Cola North America has announced its plans to launch Diet Coke
Plus, a carbonated calorie-free beverage with the added value of
vitamins and minerals, that could put the concept of functionality
at the front line of the soft...
Product development gurus are increasingly attempting to use
consumer trends for natural ingredients and more nutritious
beverages to drive growth in the carbonated soft drinks category.
Energy drinks last year stormed the US beverage market,
outperforming all other categories, while one sports drink inched
its way into the nation's top five trade marks by displacing a
popular soda brand, according to a new report.
Coca-Cola's Australasian bottler may offload its operations in
Korea, as it reviews its operations in the country amidst declining
sales of its brands, due to consumer health concerns.
The rehabilitation of one of Britain's top soft drinks firms,
Britvic, has continued over the last 12 weeks with a 4.8 per cent
rise in branded sales, the group announced.
Easterly emerging markets have continued to stop the rot for
regular carbonated soft drinks as western consumers increasingly
turn to diet versions and water, a new report says.
Soft drinks giant Britvic yesterday announced flat profits and
mixed sales results for 2006,citing a move to meet consumer demands
for healthier products as a revenue winner.
Emerging markets and a hot summer in Europe helped Coca-Cola to
pick up momentum in the third quarter, buying it time to address
problems in Japan and North America.
Women who drink four or more cola beverages per week have a higher
risk of developing the bone disease osteoporosis, finds a new
study, landing another blow on fizzy drinks makers.
Move over caffeine. A new breed of energy drinks are referencing
illegal drugs in their marketing - but without actually containing
them - in a bid to capture the lucrative, party-going youth market.
Two soft drink firms accused of using ingredients that could mix to
form a cancer-causing chemical in drinks plan to sign a settlement
with lawyers today, agreeing to change formulas and offer refunds.
India's Health Ministry has rejected a campaigns group study that
found Coca-Cola and PepsiCo soft drinks containing pesticide
residues an average 24 times above the proposed maximum limit.
Tests in India that found soft drinks contaminated with pesticides
are 'doubtful', warns a lab affiliated to the UK government, as
PepsiCo and Coca-Cola face more bans and threats of legal action
across Indian states.
Pressure was growing on the soft drink giants early this week after
India's Supreme Court ordered them to reveal every ingredient in
their drinks, following tests that found they were contaminated
with pesticides.
Coca-Cola beat several predictions with a seven per cent profit
rise in the second quarter of 2006, as improved performances in
Europe and Latin America offset difficulties in Japan.