Word: cola
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...there are few sure things in Afghan commerce. Not even a powerful international brand like Coca-Cola is guaranteed success. In September, Habib Gulzar Non-Alcoholic Beverages, Coke's franchisee in Afghanistan, opened a $25 million dollar bottling plant on the outskirts of Kabul. The modern facility-the first such factory to open since the fall of the Taliban-is large enough to produce 40,000 cases of soda a day. But the factory is operating at less than 20% of its capacity. Asked to estimate when the investment might be recouped, Salman Rawn, country manager for Coca-Cola Afghanistan...
...There are numerous reasons why profits may prove elusive for Coca-Cola's Afghan venture. The country's rustic road network means that product distribution is limited to Kabul and a few other nearby cities; Kandahar, a potentially large market in the south, is off-limits because militants and bandits make it too dangerous to truck goods there. In many places, Coke smuggled in from neighboring Pakistan is available in shops at significantly lower prices than the Afghan-produced bottles. The cost of safeguarding Coca-Cola's local bottling plant and employees from attacks has soared as suicide bombings have...
...Rawn defends Coca-Cola's $25 million investment in Afghanistan, saying the objective was not just to make money, but also to help industrialize the country. "If you plant a tree you can't expect to have fruit the first day. But if you don't plant at all, you will never have fruit." That sentiment is shared by Shakib Noori, p.r. director of the Afghanistan Investment Support Agency, the country's business-licensing body. Afghanistan imports some $5 billion worth of goods every year, and "half of those products could be produced here in Afghanistan," says Noori. "Dairy, foodstuffs...
...handful of foreign investors have been willing to take their chances. Foreign direct investment increased by 35% in 2005 to $253 million, according to the ADB, putting Afghanistan on par with a country like Sri Lanka. Besides Coca-Cola, multinational firms such as DHL, Standard Chartered Bank, the Hyatt hotel group, Toyota and Alcatel have also set up Afghan operations. In hope of convincing more to take the plunge, the ministry of commerce is reassessing tax laws, and groups like Afghanistan Investment Support Agency are helping to build industrial parks to encourage manufacturing. A steady rise in consumer spending should...
...liters Amount of Coca-Cola consumed over five years by Russian Natalya Kashuba, 27, who sued the firm for causing her heartburn and insomnia $118 Amount awarded to Kashuba by a Russian court last week. She is seeking an additional $113,000 in "moral damages...