The Coca-Cola Company And Gutsche Family Investments Agree To Sell Controlling Interest In Coca-Cola Beverages Africa To Coca-Cola HBC AG
By Sonia Meetes, Cyber Era NG Special Correspondent, Switzerland
The Coca-Cola Company and Gutsche Family Investments have agreed to sell a 75 per cent controlling interest in Coca-Cola Beverages Africa Pty. Ltd. to Coca-Cola HBC AG, the companies announced today.
CCBA is the largest Coca-Cola bottler in Africa. It operates in 14 countries on the continent and accounts for about 40 per cent of all Coca-Cola product volume sold across Africa. Coca-Cola HBC is one of the largest Coca-Cola bottlers in the world, with operations in 29 countries across Europe and Africa, including Nigeria and Egypt.
Coca-Cola will sell 41.52 per cent out of its 66.52 per cent stake in CCBA to Coca-Cola HBC, and Coca-Cola HBC is acquiring 33.48 per cent of CCBA that is held by GFI. In total, the transaction values 100 per cent of CCBA at an equity value of US$3.4 billion.
The transactions are targeted to close by the end of 2026.
Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola HBC have also agreed to a separate option agreement for Coca-Cola HBC to acquire the remaining 25per cent of CCBA still owned by Coca-Cola within a six-year period from closing.
Refranchising Progress
The sale of Coca-Cola’s stake in CCBA is another significant step in the ongoing refranchising of company-owned or controlled bottling operations.
In 2024, bottling investments, as a percent of consolidated net revenue, was 13 per cent, down from 52 per cent in 2015. Following the closing of this transaction, the company expects bottling investments to make up approximately 5 per cent of consolidated net revenue.
In July 2025, Coca-Cola reached another milestone in the refranchising process in India with the sale of a 40 per cent ownership stake in Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd. to Jubilant Bhartia Group. Coca-Cola continues to own 60 per cent of the Indian bottler.
“Coca-Cola HBC is a strong and valued bottler that will help usher in the next chapter of growth for CCBA,” said executive vice president and chief operating officer of Coca-Cola Henrique Braun. “Coca-Cola HBC has demonstrated a strong track record of growing our system across Africa, having strong market share growth in Egypt and realizing strong volume and share growth in Nigeria over the past several years. We are pleased with Coca-Cola HBC’s continued and aligned investment in the Coca-Cola system and in taking another significant step forward in the refranchising of company-owned bottling operations.”
GFI Ongoing Involvement
After the sale, the Gutsche family will continue its involvement in both the Coca-Cola system and Africa through its ownership stake in Coca-Cola HBC.
“For more than eight decades, the Gutsche family has been dedicated to developing the Coca-Cola business across Southern and Eastern Africa,” said GFI Chairman Philipp Hugo Gutsche. “Coca-Cola HBC is the ideal partner to carry the CCBA business forward and to realize their shared vision for the Coca-Cola system on the continent.”
Coca-Cola HBC Expansion
Following closing of the acquisition, Coca-Cola HBC will represent two-thirds of Africa’s total Coca-Cola system volume and cover over 50 per cent of the continent’s population, solidifying its long-term commitment to growth in Africa. With a proven track record of operating in Africa for nearly 75 years since its founding in Nigeria, the acquisition creates a platform for Coca-Cola HBC to share best practices, roll out its leading bespoke capabilities, and invest further in CCBA to drive sustainable, profitable growth.
“We are very excited to announce the acquisition of a majority stake in CCBA, with a path to full ownership,” said CEO of Coca-Cola HBC Zoran Bogdanovic.
“With almost 75 years of experience in Nigeria and with our successful acquisition of Coca-Cola’s bottling business in Egypt in 2022, we see huge growth opportunities in Africa. It has a sizable and growing consumer base and significant potential to increase per capita consumption,” Bogdanovic said. “We believe we can unlock this growth and create value for our shareholders by leveraging our best-in-class bespoke capabilities, commercial expertise and industry-leading approach to sustainability. We appreciate the trust placed in us by Coca-Cola and GFI and look forward to welcoming the CCBA team to Coca-Cola HBC and driving joint success.”
Next Steps
Coca-Cola HBC’s acquisition of CCBA is targeted to be completed by the end of 2026, subject to satisfaction of conditions, including customary regulatory and antitrust approvals.
As part of the acquisition, Coca-Cola HBC will pursue a secondary listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, underpinning its commitment to South Africa and the African continent.
Rothschild & Co acted as sole financial adviser to Coca-Cola. Goldman Sachs Bank Europe SE, Amsterdam Branch and UBS AG London Branch acted as financial advisers to Coca-Cola HBC. Nomura International acted as sole financial adviser to GFI. With additional reporting by Kingsley I. Ilechukwu, Bureau Chief, South West, Nigeria.
