Developing countries

Characteristics

All of our developing countries have market-oriented economies and, except for Croatia, have gained entry into the European Union (EU).

They generally have lower disposable income per capita than our established countries and continue to be exposed to economic volatility from time to time. Macroeconomic conditions have been positive prior 2008 with all countries experiencing positive real gross domestic product (GDP) growth.

Our developing countries are typically characterised by lower net sales revenue per unit case than in our established countries. The Coca-Cola Company’s products were introduced in the early 1990s in most of the countries, where they have since become established premium brands.

Consumers tend to be more price-sensitive than in our established countries. Consequently, our products often face competition from local non-premium brands, which have often been present in the market for many years and remain popular with consumers.

The non-alcoholic beverages market tends to be fragmented in our developing countries, with no single market participant typically holding a leading share in more than one market category.

Trends and opportunities

Consumers continue to move away from tap water and homemade drinks to branded products as beverages of choice. They have also shown an increasing interest in branded beverages associated with well-being and fitness, such as water and juices.

We believe that there are significant growth opportunities for both our sparkling and non-sparkling products. We will maximise these opportunities by introducing new products, flavours and packages in both the future and the immediate consumption channels.

In the future consumption channel, our priority is to develop an efficient distribution infrastructure and expand our sales force. In the immediate consumption channels, we plan to make significant investments to increase availability by placing coolers and other cold drink equipment in retail outlets and other consumption venues.

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