CASABLANCA: Coca-Cola is aiming to increase the brand’s penetration across North Africa, investing in new bottling plants and strengthening its distribution in order to reach consumers who drink little or no Coke, the brand’s top executive in the region has said. According to Imad Benmoussa, Coca-Cola director for Egypt and North Africa, the growth in value for the non-alcoholic drinks sector across his area will be 5% to 6% over the next few years, compared with just 1% to 2% in Europe and North America. “This strong potential is due to economic growth, rising buying power, urbanisation and the fact that the sector is poorly diversified,” he told The Africa Report. “What is important is not that those who drink Coke drink more, but that those who do not drink Coke get to know us.”And crucial to this exercise is increasing availability in order to satisfy impulse purchases, he explained. The extent of marketing investment in each country, he added, depends on a number of variables, including the brand portfolio and the level of competition.

Source: The North Africa Journal August 29, 2018 23:03 UTC