Q3 sales up due to India, Thailand
Coca-Cola, the world’s largest soft-drink maker, reported a four per cent growth in overall volume sales for the quarter ended September 2012 on the back of gains made in emerging markets such as India and Thailand.
Volume growth in these two markets ranked among the highest for Coke in the third quarter, standing at 15 per cent and 19 per cent for India and Thailand, respectively. China, a big market for the Atlanta-based beverage maker, reported a two per cent volume growth, against the six per cent it has reported in the last few quarters, pointing to a slowdown in that market.
But India continued its strong growth, ranking among the top in terms of Brand Coca-Cola sales too. Volume sales grew 34 per cent in India for Brand Coke versus Russia’s 18 per cent, Brazil and Mexico’s three per cent each and South Africa’s two per cent respectively.
Overall, sparkling or carbonated beverage volume sales grew three per cent during the third quarter, dragged down by markets in North America and Europe, though still or non-carbonated beverage sales worldwide saw an increase of 10 per cent during the quarter.
Coca-Cola said the growth in volume sales in its non-carbonated beverage portfolio was driven by categories such as packaged water, juices and juice drinks among others.
Mukhtar Kent, chairman & chief executive officer, The Coca-Cola Company, said, “We continue to deliver consistent and solid performance.
Importantly, we realised growth in the quarter across all five of our global geographic operating groups despite continued volatility in the worldwide economy. We have done this by investing in our system and our brands to ensure that our global portfolio is more relevant and healthier on Tuesday than it has ever been.”
On a global basis, Coke’s revenues advanced one per cent to $12.3 billion during the quarter, while net profit grew 3.9 per cent to $2.31 billion.