Coca-Cola decreases Belgian activities

Coca-Cola is closing two of its five distribution centres in Belgium next year, putting 132 jobs at risk. A new legal entity should streamline operations and allow the company to remain competitive.

Two plants close

The management wants to focus on sales via vending machines, where it wants to offer a “wider range of cold, but also hot drinks”, and takes the opportunity to change the structure for deliveries to vending machines. The two affected sites, Hasselt in the East of Belgium and Heppignies in the South-West, should close in 2020.

Coca-Cola European Partners has five distribution centres in Belgium: the plants in Antwerp, Chaudfontaine and Ghent would not be affected and, on the contrary, be allocated parts of the activities from Hasselt and Heppignies. Another part of the activities from the sites to be closed would go to ‘two external locations’. 123 jobs would be transferred to Antwerp and Ghent and a new internal legal entity, which will be founded in an as of yet unknown location.

The beverage producer employs some 2400 people in Belgium: in addition to the five distribution centres, there is also a branch for the technical service and customer service in Londerzeel, and a headquarters and research centre in Anderlecht.