The Coca-Cola Co will report its second-quarter and half-year results today (17 July). Here, just-drinks takes a look at the highs and lows for the company in the three months to the end of June.
- The Coca-Cola Co struck an early Q2 blow against rival PepsiCo when it announced an exclusive supply deal with snack chain Dunkin’ Brands Group. Dunkin’ Brands had worked with PepsiCo for several years, but ended the deal to serve the group’s 9,400 Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins US stores “amicably”. A month later, PepsiCo got its revenge by edging out Coca-Cola in IHOP and Applebee’s restaurants.
- On 12 April, Coca-Cola upped its 20% stake in coconut-water maker Zico Beverages. It bought the original stake in September 2009 but this time stayed quiet on the size of stake bought or the amount paid.
- With May coming around, Coca-Cola found itself in familiar territory – denying rumours it was about to buy Monster Beverage. Monster shares jumped 28% on the report in the Wall Street Journal, prompting some to wonder who exactly was profiting from all this talk.
- In late May, Coca-Cola proved it really does have one of the world’s most complete distribution systems when it opened a US$15m bottling plant in a nation unrecognised by any country or international organisation. Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, gained 135 jobs in the deal.
- Closer to home, and New York mayor Michael Bloomberg put Coca-Cola and the other soda companies in his sights with plans to ban large-serve sugary drinks within his fiefdom. Coca-Cola immediately went on the counter-attack, though the fight between the Big Apple and the Big Gulp is far from over.
- H1 ended with a bang for Coca-Cola and the announcement it was upping investment in India over the next eight years by US$3bn. India is a major focus for the company, but one analyst warned that growing too quickly in the country could strain infrastructure.