Categories Earnings, Retail

Coca-Cola brews something new with Costa

The Coca-Cola Company (KO) agreed to acquire Costa, a coffee shop chain owned by UK-based Whitbread Plc, for $5.1 billion. Costa, which is one of Starbucks’ chief rivals, has a presence in more than 30 countries and achieved $1.6 billion in revenues during its recently-ended fiscal year.

The deal, which is expected to close in the first half of 2019, will give Coca-Cola a sizeable international store presence through Costa’s 4,000 stores. Whitbread had plans to spin off Costa and Coca-Cola’s price is said to offer more value than what the British company would have gained if Costa was turned into a standalone entity.

Coca-Cola and Costa both have an extensive presence across various markets in their respective fields, and this deal is expected to benefit both companies regarding expansion and product diversification. The acquisition is anticipated to open up new growth and expansion opportunities for Coca-Cola across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Costa has a notable presence in China alongside Starbucks, which will now probably face tougher competition as a result of this combination.

The acquisition is anticipated to open up new growth and expansion opportunities for Coca-Cola across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East

As customer preferences change, prominent Cola companies are modifying their strategy and shifting to various other products aside from sugary drinks, as can be seen from Pepsi’s (PEP) recent acquisition of sparkling water company SodaStream International (SODA) for $3.2 billion.

Coffee is one such product which is seeing good sales, and the Costa deal provides growth opportunities to Coca-Cola, which is relatively new to coffee. Recently, Nestle and Starbucks (SBUX) entered into a distribution partnership for over $7 billion.

Whitbread shares rose close to 20% during early trading hours in London after news of the deal broke.

Coca-Cola acquisitions

Most Popular

United Parcel Service (UPS) seems on track to regain lost strength

Cargo giant United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE: UPS) ended fiscal 2023 on a weak note, reporting lower revenues and profit for the fourth quarter. The company experienced a slowdown post-pandemic

IPO Alert: What to look for when Boundless Bio goes public

Boundless Bio is preparing to debut on the Nasdaq stock market this week, and become the latest addition to the list of biotech firms that have launched IPOs this year.

Nike (NKE) bets on innovation and partnerships to return to high growth

Sneaker giant Nike, Inc. (NYSE: NKE) has been going through a rough patch for some time, with sales coming under pressure from weak demand and rising competition. Post-pandemic, the company

Add Comment
Loading...
Cancel
Viewing Highlight
Loading...
Highlight
Close
Top