Coca-Cola doubles growth pace

Coca-Cola HBC Romania, bottler of Coca-Cola beverages on the Romanian market, saw a 17% growth in sales volume last year, reaching a total 123-million unit cases sold on the local market, as compared to 106 million in 2004. Last year”s rate of growth doubled compared to 2004, when the company posted an 8% increase in terms of unit cases sold. The unit case is a measure in the soft drinks industry, the equivalent of about 6 litres (24 bottles of 250 millilitres). “The 17% increase in sales is due to an improvement in the economic environment and to a combination between innovation and marketing,” stated Mugurel Radulescu, communication manager at Coca-Cola HBC Romania. The company did not release its financial results for 2005. According to estimates on the market based on the company”s annual growth pace, Coca-Cola posted over 250 million euros in profits last year. ZF