Hindustan Coca-Cola revives plan to divest Coca-Cola bottling division

13 Jan 2023 , 02:12 PM

Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB), the bottling unit of Coca-Cola, has once again started to explore options to sell its business, as the valuation has risen again due to a strong post-pandemic recovery, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The operations could be divided among independent Indian bottlers or assigned to a single Indian or foreign company.

The sale of the 16 bottling plants operated by HCCB, will be a complicated process and may take over a year to complete, according to one of the officials familiar with the matter.

Coca-Cola, which sells Coke, Thums Up, Sprite, and Minute Maid juice, dominates India’s Rs50,000-crore packaged drinks market.

Juan Pablo Rodriguez was appointed as HCCB’s new CEO late last year. He was previously the global Bottling Investments Group’s chief commercial officer (BIG).

HCCB bottles more than half of Coca-total Cola’s volume in India through 16 plants. The company’s remaining bottling is handled by independent bottlers who operate over two dozen franchisee plants.

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