Coca Cola Sabco (CCS) has bought its holding company’s outlets in three Asian countries in a multi-million deal which will see the PE bottler operate two plants in Vietnam, two in Nepal and one in Sri Lanka.

An Asian office will be established in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in Vietnam and will be headed by Paul Fourie, a director of CCS.

The company says that Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Nepal represents a considerable opportunity as each has a relatively low per capita consumption of the company’s brands.

The combined population of these markets is over 120 million; which will almost double the number of consumers which CCS currently serves.

CCS chairman Pil Gutsche said that the deal “was amazing for a small South African company and effectively means that our Port Elizabeth-based company will now be more of an international group”.

He said that these acquisitions were consistent with Coca Cola’s objective of creating strategic partnerships with bottlers that grew system profitability and capability.

He also said that what was “also relevant” was “that we have been recognised as the leading emerging-market bottler in the world”.

CCS currently operates in seven southern and east African countries and employees more than 7 000 people. It operates 21 bottling plants and aims to fulfil the refreshment needs of the more than 156 million consumers who live in its markets.