Coca-Cola to close five sites, cut 500 jobs in Germany

US soft drinks giant Coca-Cola is to close five production and logistics sites in Germany over the next year.

Plants in Cologne, Neumünster, Berlin, Bielefeld and Memmingen are affected, according to a statement issued on Tuesday by Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP).

The company is responsible for bottling, selling and distributing the Coca-Cola's products in Germany.

A total of 505 jobs are to be lost, while 207 will be relocated to other sites and 78 new positions will be created.

In Cologne, where Coca-Cola operates a production and logistics site with around 600 employees, production is to be discontinued as of March 31, 2025.

With four plants, the density of sites in western Germany is very high, the company said. Cologne, with two production lines, is also the smallest operation, and there were no opportunities for expansion or growth.

The closure is intended to strengthen the capacity utilization of the other sites and make production more efficient. In the other four cities affected by the closures, the beverage manufacturer has pure logistics centres.

"We are aware that the planned changes are very painful for the employees affected. This makes it all the more important to us to implement all the intended changes in a socially responsible and transparent manner," said CCEP official Tilmann Rothhammer.

The move is also being justified by changes in beverage logistics. Large retail partners are switching from direct delivery to delivery via a central warehouse, while smaller customers are increasingly ordering through wholesalers.

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners describes itself as the largest beverage company in Germany, employing around 6,500 people at 27 sites, including 14 production plants.