Coca-Cola to buy bottling operations for 15 billion dollars

US beverage giant Coca-Cola announced Thursday plans to acquire the North American operations of its largest bottler, Coca-Cola Enterprises, in a deal worth around 15 billion dollars.

US beverage giant Coca-Cola announced Thursday plans to acquire the North American operations of its largest bottler, Coca-Cola Enterprises, in a deal worth around 15 billion dollars.

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The cashless deal also called for Coca-Cola to sell its own bottling operations in Norway and Sweden. At the close of the agreement, Coca-Cola would have direct control over some 90 percent of total North American volume.

The acquisition of the bottler's North American assets and liabilities would consider Coca-Cola's current 34 percent stake in CCE, valued at 3.4 billion dollars, and assume 8.88 billion of CCE debt.

Concurrently, the deal would see CCE buy Coca-Cola's bottling operations in Sweden and Norway for 822 million dollars, subject to the signing of definitive agreements.

The bottler would have the right to acquire Coca-Cola's 83 percent stake in its German bottling operations 18 to 36 months after closing for fair value.

"This is a truly historic day for the Coca-Cola system," Coca-Cola chairman and chief executive Muhtar Kent said in a statement.

"Our new North American structure will create an unparalleled combination of businesses, which will serve as our passport to winning in the world's largest nonalcoholic ready-to-drink profit pool."