The Competition Commission of India has approved Kandhari Global Beverages’ acquisition of a Coca-Cola bottling plant in northern Gujarat, a deal valued at around ₹2,000 crore. The move is part of Coca-Cola’s strategy to adopt an asset-light model by franchising its bottling operations, shifting management from its subsidiary Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd. (HCCBPL) to regional partners.
The facility serves north Gujarat and the Union Territory of Diu. Kandhari, a Coca-Cola partner since 1993, already operates eight plants across northern India with a production capacity of 12,000 bottles per minute. It currently serves multiple regions including Rajasthan, Delhi, Punjab, and Jammu & Kashmir.
After the sale, HCCBPL will retain 15 bottling units across the country. The deal follows Coca-Cola’s recent sale of a 40% stake in HCCBPL to the Bhartia family for about ₹10,000 crore, and is part of a broader divestment strategy that has included bottling operations in Rajasthan, Bihar, the northeast, and parts of West Bengal—generating ₹2,420 crore.
India remains Coca-Cola’s fifth-largest market, with HCCBPL posting ₹14,021.54 crore in revenue and ₹2,808.31 crore in net profit in FY 2023–24.