“Sales have dropped, although not that much, and we have almost met our target. Consumption is seasonal, between January and March. Since April, we have bottled almost non-stop, even at night, when there was demand,” the Head of the Coca-Cola HBC factory in the northern Romanian town of Poiana Negri, Bogdan Nutu, said.
The official indicated that the impact of the crisis is not severe on the mineral water segment, which continues to have significant growth potential, considering that local consumption is rather low compared to western countries.
Coca-Cola HBC’s investments on the sparkling water segment since 2003, when the company took over the business from Dorna Apemin, exceed €50 million. The current production capacity is sufficient for covering internal demand, Nutu said, adding that the company has a ten-year development strategy.
The value of the local soft drinks market (including mineral water) amounts to over €1 billion, and its main players are Coca-Cola HBC, PepsiCo, European Drinks, Parmalat, and Romaqua.
