Last year, after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Western global companies also fled the Russian market in a panic, lest word should reach the front of the house, they would even be told that they were supporting the aggressor. The international company giant that also produces the American global brand, Coca-Cola, apparently did the same, although this is contradicted by a recent report, according to which they have maintained their leading role in the market of cola-flavored drinks in Russia.
In the first two months of 2023, Coca-Cola sales in the cola market reached 14.1 percent in Russia, compared to 47.8 percent in January-February 2022. The market share of Dobry Cola became 33.8 percent, this new product is produced by Multon Partners, the Russian division of Coca-Cola, reports V4na.com .
For example, in St. Petersburg, where the editor of Tinkoff Magazine lives, original Coca-Cola can be bought in almost every convenience store . The drink is also sold in Yandex-Lavka and Samokat online marketplaces, says the author of Tinkoff Magazine. already reported that several Coca-Cola products are also available on Yandex Market . In Novosibirsk, for example, a wide range of Coca-Cola products comes from a Kyrgyz factory, as reported om1.ru.
As they write: in addition to the classic and sugar-free Coca-Cola, other products were found in several flavors. One of their readers also shared photos that were taken in the Zaelchovskiy district of Novosibirsk, wrote econimist.kg.
In March 2022, the world's largest producers of carbonated beverages, the Coca-Cola Company, decided to suspend work in Russia due to the special military operation in Ukraine. In August, the bottler warned that once the stocks of the drinks are exhausted, Coca-Cola HBC Eurasia (the Russian division of Coca-Cola) will no longer produce and sell them in Russia, but will focus on local brands such as Dobry, Rich, Moya Semya . At the end of July, Coca-Cola HBC Eurasia changed its name to Multon Partners, and then started the production of the Coca-Cola analogue "Добрый кола" ("Dobry Cola") with the name "Good Cola" , reports rbc.ru. As we can see from the table below, this brand is now present in some networks in the Russian market with a 33 percent share. (The data includes purchases in large retail chains, but does not include the stores of the two largest retailers in terms of turnover - X5 Group (Pyaterochka, Perekrestok, Chizhik) and Magnit.)
Although several sources tried to find out what kind of syrup is the basis of Dobry Cola, they only found that it is NOT the same as Coca-Cola syrup. However, several analysts admit that there is a significant similarity between the two drinks.
"We received a notification from Coca-Cola that the name of the drink will now be Dobry Cola, the one that used to be Coca-Cola. We will try to sell it"
Mihail Goncharov, the founder of the Teremok fast food chain, said at a press conference, the report of .
In other words, according to the founding manager of the Teremok restaurant chain, Coca-Cola clearly informed them that from now on the soft drinks previously marketed under the Coca-Cola name will be marketed under the name Dobry Cola.
And let's say a few words about the company that changed its name, which currently dominates a third of the Russian cola market. As mentioned above, has changed its name to Multon Partners And what else has changed in the company? Tinkoff Magazine answers this After the name change last summer, the management remained with the local management. But Coca-Cola did not withdraw from the company's capital , but announced that it had reduced its activities in Russia to a minimum, stopped investments and all deliveries.
In other words, Coca-Cola, as the owner of Multon Partners, still has a share of Dobry Cola's 33 percent share of the cola market, and to this must be added the 14 percent market presence of the Coca-Cola product.
The full article HERE .
Photo: Twitter
