DE4CC0DE-5FC3-4494-BCBF-4D50B00366B5
A-Brands

Coca-Cola To Buy AB InBev Stake In Africa Unit For $3.2 Billion

By Steve Wynne-Jones
Share this article
Coca-Cola To Buy AB InBev Stake In Africa Unit For $3.2 Billion

Coca-Cola Co. has entered a deal to buy Anheuser-Busch InBev NV’s 54.5% stake in Coca-Cola Beverages Africa for $3.15 billion, the companies said.

In addition, the companies have reached an agreement for Coca-Cola to buy AB InBev’s interest in bottling operations in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho, El Salvador and Honduras for an undisclosed amount, according to a statement Wednesday.

Coca-Cola plans to hold all of these territories temporarily until they can be refranchised to other partners, according to the statement.

Coca-Cola, the world’s largest soft-drink maker, is exiting all its bottling operations in China, the world’s second-largest economy, as it pursues an asset-light strategy. The Atlanta-based company has announced plans to speed up refranchising of its bottling operations as it seeks to reduce exposure to facilities that are more capital-intensive and low-margin.

News by Bloomberg, edited by ESM. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.

ADVERTISEMENT
Get the week's top grocery retail news

The most important stories from European grocery retail direct to your inbox every Thursday

Processing your request...

Thanks! please check your email to confirm your subscription.

By signing up you are agreeing to our terms & conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.