Battle of cola giants: In profit, Coke has the fizz over PepsiCo

Over the years, PepsiCo's operating revenue has come down significantly, as it kept divesting bottling plants to its franchise partners

The two cola giants – Coca-Cola and PepsiCo – managed to extend their top line in 2018-19 but their profitability continues to remain on divergent paths.

While Coca-Cola India improved its profit margin during the year, arch rival PepsiCo’s margin was far lower. Data from the Registrar of Companies (RoC) shows that Coca-Cola India, which owns the formulations for Thums Up, Sprite and Coke, managed to grow its net profit margin to 27.4 per cent from 26.3 per cent in 2017-18. The firm reported a net profit of Rs 632 crore, with an operating profit of Rs 2,311 crore at the