Coca-Cola plans consolidation

KOLKATA: Coca-Cola India plans to take national a slew of non-soda beverages it currently sells in select markets to consolidate and grow its functional drinks portfolio, its chief said.

The company will also take its portfolio of still beverages like Minute Maid into smaller towns and expand its retail reach by around 20% to 1.5 million outlets next year, Coca-Cola India president and CEO Atul Singh said. "Next year will be a year of consolidation for us," he told ET.

"We would like to tap the opportunity for still beverages in the smaller markets and rural India , which are fast getting urbanised," he added.

Coca-Cola launched 8-9 products last year, including Minute Maid apple, ready-to-drink iced teal Nestea, Maaza Milky Delite and energy drink Burn, which are either test-marketing in different locations or launched in select markets.