Reports in the Australian press have indicated that the country’s soft drink leader Coca-Cola Amatil has stalled in its negotiations to acquire the juice company Berri.
Though CCA has not commented on the talks, market sources have been quoted as suggesting that there are at least three potential sticking points, in particular the age of Berri’s plants.
There are also concerns that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is assessing the impact of the deal and the subsequent size of CCA in relation to the whole of the soft drink market, rather than just the juice sector.
The reports then pointed at Queensland-based co-operative Golden Circle and/or NSW co-operative Dairy Farmers as targets for CCA should these negotiations fail.
