Refresco completes Cott's bottling acquisition, creating the world's largest independent bottler for retailers

The combination provides customers access to seamless service across geographies and an unrivaled production platform with access to all non-alcoholic beverages categories. Refresco now has a footprint of 59 facilities in 12 countries, employing over 9,500 people.

CEO Refresco, Hans Roelofs said: “This completion signals an important moment reinforcing our position as the leading industry player. Combining the two businesses is in the heart of our buy & build strategy. The joined business will be well positioned to meet customers' continuously changing needs and requirements and offers ample opportunity for employees to develop their careers in an increasingly international setting. With its increased scale, Refresco will have greater opportunities to invest in innovation, to further optimize our business and achieve profitable growth. I look forward to welcoming our new colleagues in the US, Canada, UK, and Mexico and to the exciting opportunities ahead.”

The closing follows Refresco shareholder approval, the approval in principle of the UK competition authority (CMA) and the relevant competition authorities in both the US and Canada. The CMA's green light is conditional upon the sale of the Aseptic-PET facility at the Nelson site to a suitable buyer. Until that time Refresco and Cott will continue to operate separately in the UK. Integration will start immediately in North America. In the UK, integration will commence once we have executed the proposed remedy.

In the new combination, Refresco's activities in North America are significantly extended, resulting in national coverage with 22 manufacturing sites in the US, 4 manufacturing sites in Canada and 1 manufacturing site in Mexico. Furthermore, Refresco now has 26 manufacturing sites in continental Europe and 6 manufacturing sites in the UK. In the UK, Cott's bottling business will be integrated into Refresco Europe and Cott's North American organization will be combined with Refresco North America.