Coca-Cola European Partners to invest 500m euros during 2019

Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) will invest more than €500 million in 2019, as part of an ongoing multi-year €1.5 billion investment programme.

The expenditure is centred around three areas: next-generation digital solutions, supply chain capabilities, and product availability.

CCEP is developing new business analytics capabilities to improve promotions and forecasting with customers. Plans have been revealed to expand digital services for customers, such as Kollex, a new digital joint venture for the beverage wholesale trade and the away-from-home market in Germany.

Meanwhile, through efforts to boost supply chain capabilities and support its growing drinks portfolio, CCEP will build new manufacturing lines in Halle, Mannheim, Barcelona, Seville, Ghent and Wakefield.

The world’s largest Coca-Cola bottler also aims to increase the amount of recycled plastic in its products, in part through an ongoing collaboration with Ioniqa.

Finally, to increase product availability, plans have been revealed to place 69,000 more coolers in customers’ outlets in 2019.

Damian Gammell, CCEP CEO, said: “We’re investing in key areas of the business to make it easier for customers to do business with us, and to offer consumers a wider range of great products. Last year, our targeted investment programme helped to create €8.7 billion in value for customers – nearly €600 million more than 2017.”

CCEP has also announced the creation of an innovation investment unit, called CCEP Ventures. It will focus solutions across customer experience and support, logistics and distribution, future packaging design and technology, prediction and pricing analytics

Gammell added: “Our business faces future disruptive trends that need innovative solutions and we need to adapt and learn quickly.

“CCEP Ventures will help us bring the best minds and ideas from the outside world into our business. It will help us find, fund and foster new solutions and scale with speed.”