Coca-Cola sells 5% more in Brazil
Valor Econômico
Coca-Cola Brasil, holder of 56% of the market share of soft drinks in Brazil, sold more 5% in volume in the second quarter of 2009. That was the 21st consecutive quarter of growth of the company in the country, where the market of soft drinks sold R$ 11.483 billion (US$ 6 billion) between January and May this year - 6.3% more than in the same months of 2008, according to the Nielsen data.
In a market in which 98.2% of the consumers have the regular habit to drinking soft drinks, the evolution in the sales reached by Coca-Cola is very expressive, according to analysts of the sector. "The capacity of growth of the market of non alcoholic beverages in Brazil is far from saturation, both regarding soft drinks, and, of course, juices, teas, hydro tonics [a kind of energetic], among other segments still in expansion", said, yesterday, in an announcement, the CEO of Coca-Cola Brasil, Xiemar Zarazúa.
World-wide, the Coca-Cola brand had an increase of 3% in sales in the quarter. Other soft drinks of the company had growth of 2%. The "non carbonated drinks" (without gas), that include juices and isotonic drinks, sold 12% more internationally. The result reached by Coca-Cola in Brazil is higher than the one registered in the same period of last year, when was registered high of 1% in sales. This growth was also above the world average of the company, whose global performance in the second quarter was 4% better than in equal period of 2008 (in the first trimester, the increase was of 2%).
In Latin America, the growth in the period was of 6%. "In spite of the conjuncture of the global crisis, we decided to increase our investments in Brazil in 17%, getting to R$ 1.75 billion (US$ 906.7 million) this year", affirmed Zarazúa, yesterday, on a notice. Among these investments, there is the construction of two new plants which are already underway: one of soft drinks in Maceió (AL), and the new Matte Leão unit, in Curitiba (PR). The plants of Marília (SP), Santa Maria (RS) and Petrolina (PE) have also gone through a recent expansion.