Closures and co.

Wave of redundancies at Coca-Cola in Germany

Changes in beverage logistics, among other things, are forcing Coca-Cola in Germany to implement cost-cutting measures, including layoffs.

(Bild: AFP/AFP or licensors, Krone KREATIV)

The drinks manufacturer Coca-Cola plans to close five production and logistics sites in Germany over the coming year. 505 jobs are to be lost, 207 relocated to other sites and 78 new jobs created.

According to Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), the aim is to "position itself even more cost-efficiently in a persistently competitive market environment, respond to the changes in beverage logistics and further strengthen capacity utilization in the German production and logistics network". The plants affected are those in Cologne, Neumünster, Berlin-Hohenschönhausen, Bielefeld and Memmingen.

In Cologne, where Coca-Cola operates a production and logistics site and currently employs around 600 people, production is to be discontinued on March 31, 2025. With four plants, the location density in the west is very high, it said. With two production lines, Cologne was also the smallest plant, and there were no opportunities for expansion and growth. The closure is intended to increase capacity utilization at the other sites and make production more efficient. In the other four cities affected by the closures, the beverage manufacturer has purely logistics facilities.

We are aware that the planned changes will be very painful for the employees affected.

CCEP-CEO Tilmann Rothhammer

"We are aware that the planned changes are very painful for the employees affected. This makes it all the more important for us to implement all planned changes in a socially responsible and transparent manner," said Tilmann Rothhammer, Managing Director Customer Service & Supply Chain at CCEP.

The move is also justified by changes in beverage logistics. Large retail partners are increasingly switching from direct delivery to delivery via the central warehouse, while smaller customers are increasingly ordering via beverage wholesalers. As a result, the number of direct customers and orders as well as the outgoing stock volume at the logistics locations would fall significantly.

According to Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, it is the largest beverage company in Germany and employs around 6,500 people at 27 locations, including 14 production plants.