CocaCola’s new to-be CEO will be visiting India next week

James Quincey, who is expected to be the next CEO at Coca-Cola, will be coming to India next week. This would be one of his first international market visits after he was announced the president and COO of the beverage giant. He has included India as one of the first few strategic growth markets.

Quincey, 50, is the top contender expected to succeed Muhtar Kent, Coca-Cola's CEO and chairman since 2008.

"Kent had first visited India in 2012 four years after taking over as chief executive. But Quincey's visit is an indication of the US beverage firm's rising dependence on low-soda consumption but high-potential markets like India," a top official from Coca-Cola India told ET.

While mature markets like the US and Europe are seeing continuously rising soda sales, Coca-Cola is relying heavily on emerging markets like India to further urge its sales.

This has happened even as India reported low single digit volumes and fall in sales over the past two quarters in line with the overall consumer goods trend of slowing sales. Coca-Cola India had recorded 4% volume growth in the July-September quarter, as it slowly recovered after slipping in the April-June quarter, which is considered to be a vital one. The reasons for slow sales, even in the summer months, were unseasonal rains and overall slowing consumption.

However, India still remains the sixth largest market for the beverage firm and an area of key growth.

Quincey is expected to spend one day in India, and would engage with the India team of the company along with bottlers; he could also possibly visit markets.

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