Coca-Cola exceeds expectations

Coca-Cola has had a strong fourth quarter: sales were higher than expected, driven by the demand for soft drinks, flavoured cola and Fuze Tea. 

Diversification

The Atlanta-based beverage giant said sales went up because of both the original Coca-Cola and recent variants such as Plus Coffee and Zero Sugar. The revenue of the brand itself grew by 6 %, while total turnover for the group increased by 16 % to 9.07 billion dollars (8.2 billion euros) in the fourth quarter.

This was somewhat exceeding the expectations of most analysts, who had estimated a figure of 8.89 billion dollars (8.1 billion euros), Reuters wrote. Net profit increased to 2.04 billion dollars (1.8 billion euros), in line with expectations.

Coca-Cola saw volumes increase in all regions. The company sold 3 % more soft drinks and 4 % more coffee and tea. Waters and sports drinks grew by 2 %. The world’s largest beverage producer has diversified its product range in recent years and is increasingly focusing on low-sugar drinks, coffee and tea. At the beginning of this year, the company also completed the acquisition of dairy company Fairlife.