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The Coca-Cola Co presented at the Consumer Analyst Group Europe conference this week |
The CFO of the Coca-Cola Co has admitted that 2013 presented a “bump in the road” for the company, but flagged that it is looking for more than volume growth going forward.
Last month, Coca-Cola reported falls in both sales and profits in 2013, although, volumes rose by 2% in the period. Despite the lift, the company saw its volumes growth slow, compared to previous years.
Speaking at the Consumer Analyst Group Europe conference in London yesterday (18 March), CFO Gary Fayard said: “We had a bump in the road last year, but that bump came in volumes. We'd been hitting our volumes (growth) target of 3% to 4% 2010 through 2012. We were at 2% last year.”
Fayard conceded that consistent volumes growth is important for Coca-Cola, but added: "Revenue growth, margins and bottom line are critically important as well, and so returns are important. We recognise that you have to have a balance and we'll drive for that balance of long-term sustainable growth and returns as well.”
He continued: “We want to grow volumes faster than the industry, which should then lead to volume share gains. But, we also want value share gains and, to do that, you've got to have positive price/mix, expanding margins and capital efficiency.”
Coca-Cola's presentation in London coincided with the visit of the FIFA World Cup to the city as part of the company's trophy world tour marketing campaign. The trophy will visit 89 countries ahead of the start of the tournament, in Brazil in June.
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