Coca-Cola buys bottling operations for $15 billion

Coca-Cola announced it had acquired the North American operations of its largest bottler, Coca-Cola Enterprises, in a deal worth around $15 billion.

By Agencies | Feb 25, 2010, 06.37 PM IST

WASHINGTON: US beverage giant Coca-Cola announced on Thursday it had acquired the North American operations of its largest bottler, Coca-Cola Enterprises, in a deal worth around $15 billion.

The cashless deal also called for Coca-Cola to sell its own bottling operations in Norway and Sweden.

The acquisition of the bottler's North American assets and liabilities would consider Coca-Cola's current 34 per cent stake in CCE, valued at $3.4 billion, and assume 8.88 billion of CCE debt.

Concurrently, the deal would see CCE buy Coca-Cola's bottling operations in Sweden and Norway for $822 million, subject to the signing of definitive agreements.

The bottler would have the right to acquire Coca-Cola's 83 percent stake in its German bottling operations 18 to 36 months after closing for fair value.

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