Coca-Cola India, leading beverage company in India, announced that will invest an additional US$3 billion in India’s fast-growing nonalcoholic ready-to-drink beverage market. With the new $3 billion investment, the Coca-Cola system now plans to invest $5 billion in India from 2012 to 2020.

Non alcoholic ready to go beverages have enormous growth potential in India. Coca-Cola India has registered unit case volume growth in India for the past 23 quarters, 17 of which have seen double-digit growth. Two of the Company’s core sparkling brands – Thums Up and Sprite – are the country’s top selling soft drink brands while brand Coca-Cola is one of the country’s fastest growing sparkling brands, most recently reporting 27 percent growth in the first quarter. In the still beverage category, Coca-Cola’s Maaza is India’s largest selling juice drink.

The Coca-Cola Company and its bottling partners have robust plans to capture growth in India with investments in innovation, expansion of distribution network, cold drink equipment placement and augmentation of manufacturing capacity.

Coca-Cola invested more than US$2 billion in India since re-entered the country in 1993. The Coca-Cola India system currently directly employs more than 25,000 people and is estimated to have created indirect employment for more than 150,000 people

Atul Singh, President and CEO, Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia, said, “India is a strategic growth market for The Coca-Cola Company, ranking among our top 10 markets in volume globally and as the largest market in the Eurasia and Africa Group. Our India business has been growing at a robust rate over the last five years, and our goal is to continue this momentum. The country’s demographics, economic and social parameters are all huge drivers of growth and we have to ensure that we continue to grow our offerings to be the non-alcoholic, ready-to-drink beverage company of choice for local consumers.”

Worldwide, The Coca-Cola Company and its bottling partners are investing more than $30 billion over the next five years to support anticipated growth. These investments range from new manufacturing facilities to new distribution systems to new marketing investments in emerging economies.

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world’s most valuable brand, our Company’s portfolio features 15 billion dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of 1.8 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world’s top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system employees.

Via: Coca-Cola

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