MONTREAL — An Australian Coca-Cola bottler announced plans Tuesday to distribute Molson Coors beers Down Under as it seeks to re-enter the Australian beer market.
Coca-Cola Amatil, one of the world’s top Coke bottlers, said it has signed an exclusive agreement to distribute the North American brewer’s (TSX:TPX.B, NYSE:TAP) premium beers.
It wasn’t immediately clear which brands will be sold in Australia but local media reports suggested they include Carling, Coors Light and craft beer Blue Moon.
The bottling firm has been prevented from selling beer in the country as part of a 2011 transaction that allowed SAB Miller to acquire Foster’s. The restriction ends Dec. 16.
Over the past year, CCA has secured agreements to distribute a leading cider and beer, including Coors Light in New Zealand and the Pacific region.
“CCA is now well-positioned as the only independent and large- scale manufacturer, distributor and full service provider for premium international alcoholic beverage brands in Australia and we are targeting over one per cent in incremental earnings growth from our alcoholic beverages business from 2014 onwards,” group managing director Terry Davis said in its earnings report.”
The company described Molson Coors as “one of the world’s top 10 global brewers with a powerful brand portfolio.”
CCA is one of the largest bottlers of non-alcoholic beverages in the Asia-Pacific region. It employs 15,000 people and has operations in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
Its portfolio includes carbonated soft drinks, water, sports and energy drinks, fruit juice, flavoured milk, coffee and packaged ready-to-eat fruit and vegetable products.
It also sells and distributes the premium spirits portfolio of Beam Global Spirits & Wines, which include products such as Canadian Club.