Coca-Cola European Partners will extend Coca-Cola Zero Sugar – its reformulated and rebranded version of Coke Zero – to all of its European territories by the start of 2017.
In July, Coca-Cola Great Britain announced £10 million’s worth of support for the newly revamped product, as it sought to increase consumer awareness and familiarity with new Coca-Cola Zero Sugar.
“The introduction of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar in Great Britain continues to be successful and will be introduced in all CCEP territories by early 2017,” the company said, as it reported third-quarter growth of 3% in its sparkling portfolio.
The Coca-Cola trademark grew by approximately 2%, with the regular Coca-Cola variety up 1%. Coca-Cola Zero trademark brands grew at ‘a mid-teen percent rate’, led by growth in Iberia and Great Britain, the company said.
The news came to light as the business revealed its third-quarter results.
They also showed that Coca-Cola European Partners recorded total revenue of €2.9 billion in the third quarter, with operating profit of €405 million.
As for volume, total third-quarter volume grew 3.5% against last year, reflecting growth in all categories – including regular colas – as well as favourable weather, and the benefits of Coca-Cola’s brand and marketing initiatives.
It announced the return of its Christmas television advertisement and truck tour, as well as an on-pack initiative that will provide meals to those in need, last month.
And the latest returns represent the company’s first full quarter of operation since three companies completed their merger to become the world’s largest Coke bottler.
John F. Brock, chief executive officer of Coca-Cola European Partners, said: “This marks the first full quarter of operation for CCEP since our merger, and we are encouraged by the return to growth in our third-quarter results. These results support the opportunities we see for growth and our long-term outlook for CCEP.
“We remain focused on successfully integrating the territories of Coca-Cola European Partners, enhancing customer service, realising the synergies we have communicated, and ensuring we capture the growth opportunities in the market. This will enable us to better meet the needs of our customers, serve our communities effectively, and importantly, drive shareowner value.”
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