When Coca-Cola bottlers combine to create the largest independent bottler for the mega beverage brand, they need a fountain of law firms to seal the deal. On Thursday The Coca-Cola Company announced that Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE), Coca-Cola Iberian Partners (CCIP) and Coca-Cola Erfrischungsgetränke AG (CCEAG) will merge to form a new Western European bottler—Coca-Cola European Partners plc—which is expected to rake in $12.6 billion in annual net revenues.
Coca-Cola European Partners will be incorporated in the U.K and is expected to see annual cost-savings of $350 million to $375 million within three years of the deal’s planned closing in the second quarter of next year. Reuters reported that Coca-Cola European Partners will be valued at $31 billion, including debt.
