Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) said it has acquired a 60% stake in Swaziland beverage firm, Eswatini Beverages Limited.
Eswatini is the new name of the country of Swaziland which officially changed its name in 2018.
The remaining 40% shares is held by Tibiyo Taka Ngwane, an Eswatini Sovereign Wealth fund with interest in telecommunications, commercial real estate, sugar, dairy, beverages, hotels, and transportation.
Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA), the continent’s largest Coke bottler which spans over a dozen countries announced on Monday the appointment of Mr Jacques Vermeulen, a 23-year veteran of the soda giant as its new CEO, effective 1 December, 2018.
Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA), the continental beverage company based in Johannesburg, South Africa has relocated to a new headquarter in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
According to a statement from the company, the facility will house the largest Coca-Cola bottler in Africa, accounting for around 40% of all coke volumes on the continent.
The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) plans to invest up to $90-million in Kenya over the three years through 2018 to increase its product offerings in the region’s biggest economy, the soft drinks maker said on Tuesday.
Coca-Cola, which is the leader in the Kenyan soda market with brands like Coke and Fanta, has committed to invest $17-billion in Africa as a whole since 2014, double what was invested in the continent a decade before, the company said.
Anheuser-Busch InBev announced on Wednesday that it had completed the sale of its 54.5% equity stake in Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA), the continents largest Coke bottler to The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) for $3.15bn after customary adjustments, as announced on December 21, 2016.
CCBA was formed in 2016 through the merger of SABMiller’s African non-alcoholic beverage interest with The Coca-Cola Company’s South African operations and the Gutsche Family Investments, the owners of South African-based Coca-Cola Sabco.
Coca-Cola said on Thursday that it had reached an agreement with the South African government on a package of conditions addressing public interest considerations in connection with the proposed acquisition of AB InBev’s 54.5% stake in Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA).
The soft drinks giant reaffirmed its commitment to honour all merger conditions agreed with South African regulators when CCBA opened for business in 2016. Coke also agreed to ensure that the majority shareholder of CCBA will honour all merger conditions agreed at the creation of the company.
Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Company said on Monday it would buy SABMiller’s stake in Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA), the newly formed South African-based bottling group with footprints in over a dozen African countries including Nigeria.
Coca-Cola which holds 11.3% stake in CCBA, with Coca-Cola SABCO and SABMiller each holding 31.7% and 57% ownership respectively said it would exercise its change-of control-clause (right-to-buy) to SABMiller’s stake which automatically would have gone to AB InBev, the acquirer of SABMiller after the merger deal closed.
Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA), the South African group bottler of Coca-Cola products, said on Thursday it may not fulfill its commitment to invest R800 million rand ($54m) in enterprise development if the government goes ahead with its plans for a 20% tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB).
CCBA , which was created out of a merger of SABMiller’s soft drinks business, the Coca-Cola company’s South African operations and Coca-Cola SABCO warned that the proposed tax would make it difficult for the group to meet its merger obligations as it would cause financial strain in an industry where fixed costs were already high.
South African beverage industry has come out to oppose the proposed sugar-tax on sweetened beverages in the country, which the government announced earlier in the year and that is expected to come into effect on April 1, 2017. The group said the tax will lead to thousands of industry-wide job loss if implemented.
These are interesting times in the beverage industry. It was the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, who said that “change is the only constant in life.” The global beverage industry is moving fast to adapt to changing consumer taste and preferences.
For anyone who has been paying attention to global events in the beverage industry, it is hard to miss the changes taking place in the soft drinks and beer industry. However, this article will focus on the changes taking place in the soft drinks industry as it relates to Nigeria and Africa, with particular emphasis on Coca-Cola.
