BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)- anticipates commencing operations in Malawi as soon as all regulatory requirements have been successfully concluded.
This follows the recent approval by COMESA of the transaction between Coca-Cola Beverages Africa and Castel (Southern Bottlers Limited, or SOBO) to acquire Castel’s soft drinks business through Coca-Cola Beverages Africa’s subsidiary Coca-Cola Beverages Limited (CCBL).
In brief statement made available to The Maravi Post says, once operations commence, the soft drinks business will have its head office in Lilongwe.
“Both Blantyre and Lilongwe plants will serve as production, distribution and logistics sites for the newly-formed Coca-Cola Beverages Africa subsidiary.
‘Malawi is a new territory for Coca-Cola Beverages Africa which has a strong track record in the soft drinks category on the continent and is committed to sustainable growth in existing and new territories,” reads part of the statement.
The CCBA group is the 8th largest Coca-Cola bottler in the world by revenue, and the largest on the continent.
It accounts for over 40% of all Coca-Cola beverages sold in Africa by volume.
With over 17,000 employees in Africa, the CCBA group services approximately 600,000 outlets with a host of Coca-Cola beverages bearing international and local brands.
The group was formed in July 2016 after the successful combination of the southern and east Africa bottling operations of the non-alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages businesses of The Coca-Cola Company, SABMiller plc and Gutsche Family Investments.
CCBA shareholders are currently: The Coca-Cola Company 66.5% and Gutsche Family Investments 33.5%.
The CCBA group currently operates in 14 countries, including its six key markets of South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Mozambique and Namibia, as well as Tanzania, Botswana, Ghana, Zambia, the islands of Comoros and Mayotte, Eswatini, Lesotho and Malawi will be 15th.
