After almost a century of operating in South Africa, Coca-Cola Co is deepening its investment in the market with a fresh R17.6 billion ($1 billion) commitment to expand capacity and distribution through 2030.
Coca-Cola, together with two local authorised bottling partners Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa and Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages, said Tuesday it will use the new funding to “accelerate innovation.”
The drinks maker, which began bottling locally in 1928, built its footprint through a franchise system that endured through apartheid — including a period of formal divestment in the 1980s when products continued to be sold via local bottlers — before re-establishing direct control after 1994 and turning the country into a hub for its African operations.
The investment follows a broader reshaping of Coca-Cola’s African bottling network, including the creation of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa in 2016.
Five months ago, Coca-Cola HBC AG agreed to buy 75% of that business
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