UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM 10-K
| þ | Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004 |
| ¨ | Transition Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 |
Commission File Number 01-09300
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its Charter)
| Delaware | 58-0503352 | |
| (State of Incorporation) | (IRS Employer Identification Number) |
2500 Windy Ridge Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia 30339
(Address of Principal Executive Offices, including Zip Code)
(770) 989-3000
(Registrants telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each Class |
Name of each exchange on | |
| Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share |
New York Stock Exchange | |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes þ No ¨
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of the registrants knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2). Yes þ No ¨
The aggregate market value of the registrants common stock held by nonaffiliates of the registrant as of July 2, 2004 (assuming, for the sole purpose of this calculation, that all directors and executive officers of the registrant are affiliates) was $6,723,728,526 (based on the closing sale price of the registrants common stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange).
There were 470,281,307 shares of common stock outstanding as of February 25, 2005.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the registrants Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareowners to be held on April 29, 2005 are incorporated by reference in Part III.
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| PART I |
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| Financial Information on Industry Segments and Geographic Areas |
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| ITEM 7. | MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS |
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| ITEM 9. | CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE |
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| ITEM 12. | SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS |
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PART I
| ITEM 1. | BUSINESS |
Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. at a glance
| | Marketing, selling, manufacturing and distributing nonalcoholic beverages |
| | Serving a market of approximately 409 million consumers throughout North America, Great Britain, continental France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Monaco |
| | Being the worlds largest Coca-Cola bottler |
| | Representing approximately 21% of Coca-Cola product volume worldwide |
We were incorporated in Delaware in 1944 as a wholly owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company. We have been a publicly traded company since 1986. The Coca-Cola Company owned approximately 36% of our common stock at December 31, 2004.
Our bottling territories in North America and Europe contained approximately 409 million people at the end of 2004. We sold approximately 42 billion bottles and cans (or 2.0 billion physical cases) throughout our territories in 2004. Products licensed to us through The Coca-Cola Company and its affiliates and joint ventures represented about 94% of this volume.
We have perpetual bottling rights within the United States for products with the name Coca-Cola. For substantially all other products within the United States, and all products elsewhere, the bottling rights have stated expiration dates. However, for all bottling rights granted by The Coca-Cola Company with stated expiration dates, we believe our interdependent relationship with The Coca-Cola Company and the substantial cost and disruption that would be caused by nonrenewals of these licenses ensure that they will be renewed upon expiration. The terms of these licenses are discussed in more detail in the sections of this report entitled North American Beverage Agreements and European Beverage Agreements.
References in this report to we, our, or us refer to Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. and its subsidiaries and divisions, unless the context requires otherwise.
Relationship with The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is our largest shareowner. Three of our fifteen directors are executive officers of The Coca-Cola Company.
We conduct our business primarily under agreements with The Coca-Cola Company. These agreements give us the exclusive right to produce, market, and distribute beverage products of The Coca-Cola Company in authorized containers in specified territories. These agreements provide The Coca-Cola Company with the ability, in its sole discretion, to establish prices, terms of payment, and other terms and conditions for our purchase of concentrates and syrups from The Coca-Cola Company. See North American Beverage Agreements and European Beverage Agreements below. Other significant transactions and agreements with The Coca-Cola Company include arrangements for cooperative marketing, advertising expenditures, purchases of sweeteners, strategic marketing initiatives, and, from time to time, acquisitions of bottling territories.
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We and The Coca-Cola Company are looking at all aspects of our respective operations to ensure that we are operating in the most efficient and effective way possible. This analysis includes our supply chains, information services and sales organizations. In addition, our objective is to simplify our relationship and to better align our mutual economic interests, freeing up system resources to reinvest against our brands and to drive growth.
Our bottling territories in North America are located in 46 states of the United States, the District of Columbia, and all ten provinces of Canada. At December 31, 2004, these territories contained approximately 263 million people, representing about 79% of the population of the United States and 98% of the population of Canada.
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Our bottling territories in Europe consist of Belgium, continental France, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Monaco, and the Netherlands. The aggregate population of these territories was approximately 146 million at December 31, 2004.
The revenue split between our North American and European operations was 71% and 29%, respectively. Great Britain contributed approximately 47% of European net operating revenues in 2004.
Our top five brands in North America in 2004:
Coca-Cola classic
Diet Coke
Sprite
Dasani
caffeine free Diet Coke
Our top five brands in Europe in 2004:
Coca-Cola
Diet Coke/Coca-Cola light
Fanta
Schweppes
Sprite
We manufacture most of our finished product from syrups and concentrates that we buy from The Coca-Cola Company and other licensors.
We deliver most of our product directly to retailers for sale to the ultimate consumers, but for some products, in some territories, we distribute through wholesalers who deliver to retailers.
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During 2004, our package mix (based on wholesale physical case volume) was as follows:
| | In North America: |
62% cans
14% 20-ounce
12% 2-liter
12% other
| | In Europe: |
38% cans
34% multiserve PET (1-liter and greater)
13% single serve PET
15% other
Programs
We rely extensively on advertising and sales promotions in marketing our products. The Coca-Cola Company and the other beverage companies that supply concentrates, syrups and finished products to us make advertising expenditures in all major media to promote sales in the local areas we serve. We also benefit from national advertising programs conducted by The Coca-Cola Company and other beverage companies. Certain of the marketing expenditures by The Coca-Cola Company and other beverage companies are made pursuant to annual arrangements.
Effective May 1, 2004, we agreed with The Coca-Cola Company that a significant portion of our funding from that company would be netted against the price we pay that company for concentrate in our United States territories. Effective June 1, 2004, similar changes were made in our agreements with an affiliate of The Coca-Cola Company for our Canadian territories. Additionally, we agreed with The Coca-Cola Company to terminate the Strategic Growth Initiative and Special Marketing Funds funding programs. These changes were also effective May 1, 2004 in the United States and June 1, 2004 in Canada.
Global Marketing Fund. Effective May 1, 2004, The Coca-Cola Company established a Global Marketing Fund, under which that company will pay us $61.5 million annually through December 31, 2014, as support for marketing activities. The term of the fund will automatically be extended for successive ten-year periods thereafter unless either party gives written notice of termination. The marketing activities to be funded will be agreed upon each year as part of the annual joint planning process and will be incorporated into the annual marketing plans of both companies. The Coca-Cola Company may terminate this fund for the balance of any year in which we fail to timely complete the marketing plans or are unable to execute the elements of these plans, when the ability to prevent such failures are within our reasonable control. During 2004, we received $41.5 million from this fund, representing a pro rata portion of the annual amount.
Cold Drink Equipment Programs. We and The Coca-Cola Company are parties to a 1999-2008 Cold Drink Equipment Purchase Partnership Program agreement dated January 23, 2002 covering certain of our territories located in the United States (sometimes referred to as the Jumpstart program). This agreement, which amends and restates in their entirety several earlier contracts dealing with this program, took effect as of January 1, 1999, and was subsequently amended August 9, 2004 effective as of January 1, 2004. The effect of the 2004 amendment was to defer the placement of certain vending equipment from 2004 and 2005 into 2009 and 2010. In exchange for this amendment, and a similar amendment to the Canadian agreement described below, we and our
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Canadian bottler agreed to pay The Coca-Cola Company a total of $15 million $1.5 million in 2004, $3 million annually in 2005 through 2008, and $1.5 million in 2009.
The agreement contains our commitment to purchase approximately 1.2 million cumulative units of vending equipment through 2010 and specifies the number of venders and manual equipment that must be purchased by us in each year during the term of the agreement. Our failure to purchase the number of venders or manual equipment in any year will not be a violation of the agreement if cumulative equipment purchases (venders and manual equipment) meet the aggregate target for the year, and the number of venders purchased during the year is at least equal to 80% of the venders required to be purchased during that year.
If we fail to meet our minimum purchase requirements for any calendar year, we will meet with The Coca-Cola Company to mutually develop a reasonable solution/alternative based on market place developments, mutual assessment and agreement relative to the continuing availability of profitable placement opportunities and continuing participation in the market planning process between the two companies. The program can be terminated if no agreement about the shortfall is reached and the shortfall is not remedied by the end of the first quarter of the succeeding calendar year. The program can also be terminated if the agreement is otherwise breached by us and not resolved within 90 days after notice from The Coca-Cola Company. Upon termination, certain funding amounts previously paid to us would be repaid to The Coca-Cola Company, plus interest at one percent per month from the date of initial funding. However, provided that we have partially performed, such repayment obligation shall be reduced to such amount (if less) as The Coca-Cola Company shall reasonably determine will be adequate to deliver the financial returns that would have been received by The Coca-Cola Company had all equipment placement commitments been fully performed, and had the vend volume, reasonably anticipated by The Coca-Cola Company, been achieved. We would be excused from any failure to perform under the program that is occasioned by any cause beyond our reasonable control.
Equipment purchased by us is to be kept in place at customer locations for at least 12 years from date of purchase, with certain exceptions.
We are required to establish, maintain and publish for our employees a flavor set standard applicable to all venders and units of manual equipment we own, requiring a certain percentage of the products dispensed to be products of The Coca-Cola Company. To the extent that competitive products, i.e., products other than those of The Coca-Cola Company, are dispensed in venders or manual equipment purchased in connection with the Jumpstart program, then we are obligated, in some circumstances, to make a fair share payment to The Coca-Cola Company. If such a payment were required, then the amount of the fair share payment would be computed annually during the term of the agreement, and would be the percentage of competitive products dispensed during the prior 12 months in equipment acquired in connection with the cold drink program, times the total support funding for that period. However, if we have engaged in mutually agreed activities to develop an infrastructure to support increased cold drink placement, then The Coca-Cola Company agrees to reinvest the fair share payment to support those infrastructure activities; if those activities have not taken place, the fair share payment will be deducted from any annual or fourth quarter payment due to us. There have never been any fair share payments under the agreement.
For 12 years following the purchase of equipment, we are required to report to The Coca-Cola Company whether equipment purchased under the program has generated, on average, a specified minimum weekly volume during the preceding twelve months.
If we are in material breach of any of our agreements with respect to the production and sale of products of The Coca-Cola Company during the term of the agreement, or if we attempt to terminate any of those agreements absent breach by The Coca-Cola Company, then The Coca-Cola Company
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may terminate the Jumpstart program and recover all money paid to us under the agreement. The amount to be repaid shall not exceed an amount adequate (in The Coca-Cola Companys reasonable determination) to deliver the financial returns that would have been received by The Coca-Cola Company had all equipment placement commitments been fully performed, and had throughputs, reasonably anticipated by The Coca-Cola Company, been achieved.
We have substantially similar agreements in effect with affiliates of The Coca-Cola Company for our territories in Europe and Canada. The European agreement provided for the purchase of approximately 397,000 venders and coolers and aggregate payments to us of approximately 25.9 million euro and 44 million pounds sterling for periods from July 1, 1997 through December 31, 2000. We amended the European agreement in February 2005, to be effective January 1, 2004. In consideration for the amendment, we agreed to place additional vending equipment in 2009 having a value of 15 million euro. The principal effects of the 2005 amendment to the European agreement were to measure equipment obligations on an annual Europe-wide basis, rather than quarterly commitments measured country-by-country. The amendment also allows leasing, rather than purchase, in some circumstances. The Canadian agreement, which we amended August 9, 2004, effective as of January 1, 2004, provided for the purchase of approximately 243,000 units of cold drink equipment and aggregate payments to us of approximately CDN $112 million over periods ended December 31, 2000. The effect of the 2004 amendment to the Canadian agreement was to defer placement of some items of vending equipment from 2004 and 2005 into 2009 and 2010.
We have received approximately $1.2 billion in payments under the programs since they began in 1994. No additional amounts are due.
No refunds have ever been paid under these programs, and we believe the probability of a partial refund of amounts previously paid under the programs is remote. We believe we would in all cases resolve any matters that might arise regarding these programs. We and The Coca-Cola Company have amended prior agreements to reflect, where appropriate, modified goals, and we believe that we can continue to resolve any differences that might arise over our performance requirements under the Jumpstart program, as evidenced by our amendments to the North American programs in 2004, discussed above.
Transition Support Funding for Herb Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Company has agreed to provide support payments for the marketing of certain brands of The Coca-Cola Company in the territories of Hondo Incorporated and Herbco Enterprises, Inc. acquired by us in July 2001. We received $14 million in 2004 and will receive $14 million annually through 2008, and $11 million in 2009. Payments received and earned under this agreement are not subject to being refunded to The Coca-Cola Company.
Seasonality
Sales of our products are seasonal, with the second and third calendar quarters accounting for higher sales volumes than the first and fourth quarters. Sales in the European bottling territories are more volatile because of the higher sensitivity of European consumption to weather conditions.
Large Customers
Approximately 54% of our North American bottle and can volume, and approximately 39% of our European bottle and can volume, is sold through the supermarket channel. The supermarket industry is in the process of consolidating, and a few chains control a significant amount of the volume. The loss of one or more chains as a customer could have a material adverse effect upon our business, but we believe that any such loss in North America would be unlikely, because of our products proven ability to bring retail traffic into the supermarket and the resulting benefits to the store, and because we are
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the only source for our bottle and can products within our exclusive territories. Within the European Union, however, our customers can order from any other Coca-Cola bottler within the EU, some of which may have lower prices than our European bottlers. No customer accounted for 10% or more of our revenue in 2004.
In addition to concentrates, sweeteners and finished product, we purchase carbon dioxide, glass and plastic bottles, cans, closures, post-mix (fountain syrup) packagingsuch as plastic bags in cardboard boxesand other packaging materials. We generally purchase our raw materials, other than concentrates, syrups, mineral waters and sweeteners, from multiple suppliers. The beverage agreements with The Coca-Cola Company provide that all authorized containers, closures, cases, cartons and other packages, and labels for the products of The Coca-Cola Company must be purchased from manufacturers approved by The Coca-Cola Company.
High fructose corn syrup is the principal sweetener used by us in the United States and Canada for beverage products, other than low-calorie products, of The Coca-Cola Company and other cross-franchise brands, although sugar (sucrose) was also used as a sweetener in Canada during 2004. During 2004, substantially all of our requirements for sweeteners in the United States were supplied through purchases by us from The Coca-Cola Company. In Europe, the principal sweetener is sugar from sugar beets, purchased from multiple suppliers. We do not separately purchase low-calorie sweeteners, because sweeteners for low-calorie beverage products of The Coca-Cola Company are contained in the syrup or concentrate we purchase from The Coca-Cola Company.
We currently purchase most of our requirements for plastic bottles in the United States from manufacturers jointly owned by us and other Coca-Cola bottlers, one of which is a production cooperative in which we participate. We are the majority shareowner of Western Container Corporation, a major producer of plastic bottles. In Canada, a merchant supplier is used. In Europe, we produce most of our plastic bottle requirements using preforms purchased from various merchant suppliers. We believe that ownership interests in certain suppliers, participation in cooperatives, and the self-manufacture of certain packages can serve to reduce or manage costs.
We, together with all other bottlers of Coca-Cola in the United States, are a member of the Coca-Cola Bottlers Sales & Services Company LLC (CCBSS), which is combining the purchasing volumes for goods and supplies of multiple Coca-Cola bottlers to achieve efficiencies in purchasing. CCBSS currently participates in procurement activities with other large Coca-Cola Bottlers worldwide. Through its Customer Business Solutions group, CCBSS also consolidates North American sales information for national customers.
We use no materials or supplies that are currently in short supply, although the supply and price of specific materials or supplies could be adversely affected by strikes, weather conditions, governmental controls, national emergencies, and price or supply fluctuations of their raw material components.
In recent years, there has been consolidation among suppliers of certain of our raw materials. This reduction in the number of competitive sources of supply can have an adverse effect upon our ability to negotiate the lowest costs and, in light of our relatively small inplant raw material inventory levels, has the potential for causing interruptions in our supply of raw materials.
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North American Beverage Agreements
Pricing
Pursuant to the North American beverage agreements, The Coca-Cola Company establishes the prices charged to us for concentrates for beverages bearing the trademark Coca-Cola or Coke (the Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages), Allied Beverages (as defined below), noncarbonated beverages and post-mix. The Coca-Cola Company has no rights under the United States beverage agreements to establish the resale prices at which we sell our products.
Domestic Cola and Allied Beverage Agreements in the United States with The Coca-Cola Company
We purchase concentrates from The Coca-Cola Company and produce, market and distribute our principal nonalcoholic beverage products within the United States under two basic forms of beverage agreements with The Coca-Cola Company: beverage agreements that cover the Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages (the Cola Beverage Agreements), and beverage agreements that cover other carbonated and some noncarbonated beverages of The Coca-Cola Company (the Allied Beverages and Allied Beverage Agreements) (referred to collectively in this report as the Domestic Cola and Allied Beverage Agreements). We are parties to one Cola Beverage Agreement and to various Allied Beverage Agreements for each territory. In this section, unless the context indicates otherwise, a reference to us refers to the legal entity in the United States that is a party to the beverage agreements with The Coca-Cola Company.
Cola Beverage Agreements in the United States with The Coca-Cola Company
Exclusivity. The Cola Beverage Agreements provide that we will purchase our entire requirements of concentrates and syrups for Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages from The Coca-Cola Company at prices, terms of payment and other terms and conditions of supply determined from time to time by The Coca-Cola Company in its sole discretion. We may not produce, distribute, or handle cola products other than those of The Coca-Cola Company. We have the exclusive right to distribute Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages for sale in authorized containers within our territories. The Coca-Cola Company may determine, in its sole discretion, what types of containers are authorized for use with products of The Coca-Cola Company.
Transshipping. We may not sell Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages outside our territories.
Our Obligations. We are obligated:
(a) to maintain such plant and equipment, staff and distribution, and vending facilities as are capable of manufacturing, packaging and distributing Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages in accordance with the Cola Beverage Agreements and in sufficient quantities to satisfy fully the demand for these beverages in our territories;
(b) to undertake adequate quality control measures prescribed by The Coca-Cola Company;
(c) to develop and to stimulate the demand for Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages in our territories;
(d) to use all approved means and spend such funds on advertising and other forms of marketing as may be reasonably required to satisfy that objective; and
(e) to maintain such sound financial capacity as may be reasonably necessary to assure our performance of our obligations to The Coca-Cola Company.
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We are required to meet annually with The Coca-Cola Company to present our marketing, management, and advertising plans for the Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages for the upcoming year, including financial plans showing that we have the consolidated financial capacity to perform our duties and obligations to The Coca-Cola Company. The Coca-Cola Company may not unreasonably withhold approval of such plans. If we carry out our plans in all material respects, we will be deemed to have satisfied our obligations to develop, stimulate, and satisfy fully the demand for the Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages and to maintain the requisite financial capacity. Failure to carry out such plans in all material respects would constitute an event of default that, if not cured within 120 days of written notice of the failure, would give The Coca-Cola Company the right to terminate the Cola Beverage Agreements. If we at any time fail to carry out a plan in all material respects in any geographic segment of our territory, and if such failure is not cured within six months after written notice of the failure, The Coca-Cola Company may reduce the territory covered by that Cola Beverage Agreement by eliminating the portion of the territory in which such failure has occurred.
Acquisition of Other Bottlers. If we acquire control, directly or indirectly, of any bottler of Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages in the United States, or any party controlling a bottler of Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages in the United States, we must cause the acquired bottler to amend its agreement for the Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages to conform to the terms of the Cola Beverage Agreements.
Term and Termination. The Cola Beverage Agreements are perpetual, but they are subject to termination by The Coca-Cola Company upon the occurrence of an event of default by us. Events of default with respect to each Cola Beverage Agreement include:
(a) production or sale of any cola product not authorized by The Coca-Cola Company;
(b) insolvency, bankruptcy, dissolution, receivership, or the like;
(c) any disposition by us of any voting securities of any bottling company without the consent of The Coca-Cola Company; and
(d) any material breach of any of our obligations under that Cola Beverage Agreement that remains unresolved for 120 days after written notice by The Coca-Cola Company.
If any Cola Beverage Agreement is terminated because of an event of default, The Coca-Cola Company has the right to terminate all other Cola Beverage Agreements we hold.
In addition, each Cola Beverage Agreement provides that The Coca-Cola Company has the right to terminate that Cola Beverage Agreement if a person or affiliated group (with specified exceptions) acquires or obtains any contract or other right to acquire, directly or indirectly, beneficial ownership of more than 10% of any class or series of our voting securities. However, The Coca-Cola Company has agreed with us that this provision will not apply with respect to the ownership of any class or series of our voting securities, although it applies to the voting securities of each bottling company subsidiary.
The provisions of the Cola Beverage Agreements that make it an event of default to dispose of any Cola Beverage Agreement or voting securities of any bottling company subsidiary without the consent of The Coca-Cola Company and that prohibit the assignment or transfer of the Cola Beverage Agreements are designed to preclude any person not acceptable to The Coca-Cola Company from obtaining an assignment of a Cola Beverage Agreement or from acquiring any of our voting securities of our bottling subsidiaries. These provisions prevent us from selling or transferring any of our interest in any bottling operations without the consent of The Coca-Cola Company. These provisions may also make it impossible for us to benefit from certain transactions, such as mergers or acquisitions that might be beneficial to us and our shareowners, but which are not acceptable to The Coca-Cola Company.
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Allied Beverage Agreements in the United States with The Coca-Cola Company
The Allied Beverages are beverages of The Coca-Cola Company, its subsidiaries, and joint ventures that are either carbonated beverages, but not Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages, or are certain noncarbonated beverages, such as Hi-C fruit drinks. The Allied Beverage Agreements contain provisions that are similar to those of the Cola Beverage Agreements with respect to transshipping, authorized containers, planning, quality control, transfer restrictions, and related matters but have certain significant differences from the Cola Beverage Agreements.
Exclusivity. Under the Allied Beverage Agreements, we have exclusive rights to distribute the Allied Beverages in authorized containers in specified territories. Like the Cola Beverage Agreements, we have advertising, marketing, and promotional obligations, but without restriction for some brands as to the marketing of products with similar flavors as long as there is no manufacturing or handling of other products that would imitate, infringe upon or cause confusion with, the products of The Coca-Cola Company. The Coca-Cola Company has the right to discontinue any or all Allied Beverages, and we have a right, but not an obligation, under each of the Allied Beverage Agreements (except under the Allied Beverage Agreements for Hi-C fruit drinks and carbonated Minute Maid beverages) to elect to market any new beverage introduced by The Coca-Cola Company under the trademarks covered by the respective Allied Beverage Agreements.
Term and Termination. Each Allied Beverage Agreement has a term of ten or fifteen years and is renewable by us for an additional ten or fifteen years at the end of each term. The initial term for many of our Allied Beverage Agreements expired in 1996 and substantially all were renewed. Renewal is at our option. We intend to renew substantially all the Allied Beverage Agreements as they expire. The Allied Beverage Agreements are subject to termination in the event we default. The Coca-Cola Company may terminate an Allied Beverage Agreement in the event of: (i) insolvency, bankruptcy, dissolution, receivership, or the like; (ii) termination of our Cola Beverage Agreement by either party for any reason; or (iii) any material breach of any of our obligations under the Allied Beverage Agreement that remains uncured after required prior written notice by The Coca-Cola Company.
Noncarbonated Beverage Agreements in the United States with The Coca-Cola Company
We purchase and distribute certain noncarbonated beverages such as isotonics, teas, and juice drinks in finished form from The Coca-Cola Company, or its designees or joint ventures, and produce, market and distribute Dasani water, pursuant to the terms of marketing and distribution agreements (the Noncarbonated Beverage Agreements). The Noncarbonated Beverage Agreements contain provisions that are similar to the Domestic Cola and Allied Beverage Agreements with respect to authorized containers, planning, quality control, transfer restrictions, and related matters but have certain significant differences from the Domestic Cola and Allied Beverage Agreements.
Exclusivity. Unlike the Domestic Cola and Allied Beverage Agreements, which grant us exclusivity in the distribution of the covered beverages in our territory, the Noncarbonated Beverage Agreements grant exclusivity but permit The Coca-Cola Company to test market the noncarbonated beverage products in the territory, subject to our right of first refusal to do so, and to sell the noncarbonated beverages to commissaries for delivery to retail outlets in the territory where noncarbonated beverages are consumed on-premise, such as restaurants. The Coca-Cola Company must pay us certain fees for lost volume, delivery, and taxes in the event of such commissary sales. Also, under the Noncarbonated Beverage Agreements, we may not sell other beverages in the same product category.
Pricing. The Coca-Cola Company, in its sole discretion, establishes the pricing we must pay for the noncarbonated beverages or, in the case of Dasani, the concentrate, but has agreed, under certain circumstances for some products, to give the benefit of more favorable pricing if such pricing is offered to other bottlers of Coca-Cola products.
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Term. Each of the Noncarbonated Beverage Agreements has a term of ten or fifteen years and is renewable by us for an additional ten years at the end of each term. The initial term for most of the Noncarbonated Beverage Agreements for Powerade expired in 2004, and these were renewed by us for terms expiring in 2014. The initial terms for many of the contracts for Nestea will expire in 2008 and 2009. For Minute Maid juices and juice drinks, the contracts will expire in 2007. The initial term for many of the contracts for Dasani will expire at the end of 2014. Renewal is at our option.
Marketing and Other Support in the United States from The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company has no obligation under the Domestic Cola and Allied Beverage Agreements and Noncarbonated Beverage Agreements to participate with us in expenditures for advertising, marketing, and other support. However, it contributed to such expenditures and undertook independent advertising and marketing activities, as well as cooperative advertising and sales promotion programs in 2004. See Marketing Programs.
Post-Mix Sales and Marketing Agreements in the United States with The Coca-Cola Company
We have a distributorship appointment that ends on December 31, 2007 to sell and deliver the post-mix products of The Coca-Cola Company. The appointment is terminable by either party for any reason upon ten days written notice. Under the terms of the appointment, we are authorized to distribute such products to retailers for dispensing to consumers within the United States. Unlike the Domestic Cola and Allied Beverage Agreements, there is no exclusive territory, and we face competition not only from sellers of other such products but also from other sellers of such products (including The Coca-Cola Company). In 2004, we sold and/or delivered such post-mix products in all of our major territories in the United States. Depending on the territory, we are involved in the sale, distribution, and marketing of post-mix syrups in differing degrees. In some territories, we sell syrup on our own behalf, but the primary responsibility for marketing lies with The Coca-Cola Company. In other territories, we are responsible for marketing post-mix syrup to certain segments of the business.
Beverage Agreements in the United States with Other Licensors
The beverage agreements in the United States between us and other licensors of beverage products and syrups contain restrictions generally similar in effect to those in the Domestic Cola and Allied Beverage Agreements as to use of trademarks and trade names, approved bottles, cans and labels, sale of imitations, and causes for termination. Those agreements generally give those licensors the unilateral right to change the prices for their products and syrups at any time in their sole discretion. Some of these beverage agreements have limited terms of appointment and, in most instances, prohibit us from dealing in products with similar flavors in certain territories. Our agreements with subsidiaries of Cadbury Schweppes plc, which represented in 2004 approximately 7% of the beverages sold by us in the United States and the Caribbean, provide that the parties will give each other at least one years notice prior to terminating the agreement for any brand, and pay certain fees in some circumstances. Also, we have agreed that we would not cease distributing Dr Pepper brand products prior to December 31, 2010, or Canada Dry, Schweppes, or Squirt brand products prior to December 31, 2007. The termination provisions for Dr Pepper renew for five-year periods; those for the other Cadbury brands renew for three-year periods.
Canadian Beverage Agreements with The Coca-Cola Company
Our bottler in Canada produces, markets, and distributes Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages, Allied Beverages, and noncarbonated beverages of The Coca-Cola Company and Coca-Cola Ltd., an affiliate of The Coca-Cola Company (Coca-Cola Beverage Products), in its territories pursuant to license agreements and arrangements with Coca-Cola Ltd., and in certain cases, with The Coca-Cola
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Company (Canadian Beverage Agreements). The Canadian Beverage Agreements are similar to the Domestic Cola and Allied Beverage Agreements with respect to authorized containers, planning, quality control, transshipping, transfer restrictions, termination, and related matters but have certain significant differences from the Domestic Cola and Allied Beverage Agreements.
Exclusivity. The Canadian Beverage Agreement for Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages gives us the exclusive right to distribute Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages in our territories in bottles authorized by Coca-Cola Ltd. We are also authorized on a nonexclusive basis to sell, distribute, and produce canned, pre-mix, and post-mix Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages in such territories. At present, there are no other authorized producers or distributors of canned, pre-mix, or post-mix Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages in our territories, and we have been advised by Coca-Cola Ltd. that there are no present intentions to authorize any such producers or distributors in the future. In general, the Canadian Beverage Agreement for Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages prohibits us from producing or distributing beverages other than the Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages unless Coca-Cola Ltd. has given us written notice that it approves the production and distribution of such beverages.
Pricing. An affiliate of The Coca-Cola Company supplies the concentrates for the Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages and may establish and revise at any time the price of concentrates, the payment terms, and the other terms and conditions under which we purchase concentrates for the Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages. We may not require a deposit on any container used by us for the sale of the Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages unless we are required by law or approved by Coca-Cola Ltd. and, if a deposit is required, such deposit may not exceed the greater of the minimum deposit required by law or the deposit approved by Coca-Cola Ltd.
Term. The Canadian Beverage Agreements for Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages expire on July 28, 2007, with provisions to renew for two additional terms of ten years each, provided generally that we have complied with and continue to be capable of complying with their provisions. We believe that our interdependent relationship with The Coca-Cola Company and the substantial cost and disruption to that company that would be caused by nonrenewals ensure that these agreements will be renewed upon expiration. Our authorizations to produce, distribute, and sell pre-mix and post-mix Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages may be terminated by either party on 90 days written notice.
Marketing and Other Support. Coca-Cola Ltd. has no obligation under the Canadian Beverage Agreements to participate with us in expenditures for advertising, marketing, and other support. However, it contributed to such expenditures and undertook independent advertising and marketing activities, as well as cooperative advertising and sales promotion programs in 2004. See Marketing Programs.
Other Coca-Cola Beverage Products. Our license agreements and arrangements with Coca-Cola Ltd., and in certain cases, with The Coca-Cola Company, for the Coca-Cola Beverage Products other than Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages are on terms generally similar to those contained in the license agreement for the Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages.
Beverage Agreements in Canada with Other Licensors
We have several license agreements and arrangements with other licensors, including license agreements with subsidiaries of Cadbury Schweppes plc having terms expiring in July 2007 and December 2036, each being renewable for successive five-year terms until terminated by either party. These beverage agreements generally give us the exclusive right to produce and distribute authorized beverages in authorized packaging in specified territories. These beverage agreements also generally provide flexible pricing for the licensors, and in many instances, prohibit us from dealing in beverages confusing with, or imitative of, the authorized beverages. These agreements contain restrictions
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generally similar to those in the Canadian Beverage Agreements regarding the use of trademarks, approved bottles, cans and labels, sales of imitations, and causes for termination.
European Beverage Agreements with The Coca-Cola Company
Our bottlers in Belgium, continental France, Great Britain, Monaco, and the Netherlands and our distributor in Luxembourg (the European Bottlers) operate in their respective territories under bottler and distributor agreements with The Coca-Cola Company and The Coca-Cola Export Corporation (the European Beverage Agreements). The European Beverage Agreements have certain significant differences, described below, from the beverage agreements in North America.
We believe that the European Beverage Agreements are substantially similar to other agreements between The Coca-Cola Company and other European bottlers of Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages and Allied Beverages.
Exclusivity. Subject to the European Supplemental Agreement, described below in this report, and certain minor exceptions, our European Bottlers have the exclusive rights granted by The Coca-Cola Company in their territories to sell the beverages covered by their respective European Beverage Agreements in glass bottles, plastic bottles, and/or cans. The covered beverages include Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages, Allied Beverages, noncarbonated beverages, and certain beverages not sold in the United States. The Coca-Cola Company has retained the rights, under certain circumstances, to produce and sell, or authorize third parties to produce and sell, the beverages in any other manner or form within the territories. The Coca-Cola Company has granted our European Bottlers a nonexclusive authorization to package and sell post-mix and/or pre-mix beverages in their territories.
Transshipping. Our European Bottlers are prohibited from making sales of the beverages outside of their territories, or to anyone intending to resell the beverages outside their territories, without the consent of The Coca-Cola Company, except for sales arising out of a passive order from a customer in another member state of the European Economic Area or for export to another such member state. The European Beverage Agreements also contemplate that there may be instances in which large or special buyers have operations transcending the boundaries of the territories, and in such instances, our European Bottlers agree not to oppose, without valid reason, any additional measures deemed necessary by The Coca-Cola Company to improve sales and distribution to such customers.
Pricing. The European Beverage Agreements provide that the sales of concentrate, beverage base, mineral waters, and other goods to our European Bottlers are at prices which are set from time to time by The Coca-Cola Company in its sole discretion.
Term and Termination. The European Beverage Agreements expire July 26, 2006 for Belgium, continental France and the Netherlands, February 10, 2007 for Great Britain, and January 30, 2008 for Luxembourg, unless terminated earlier as provided therein. If our European Bottlers have complied fully with the agreements during the initial term, are capable of the continued promotion, development, and exploitation of the full potential of the business, and request an extension of the agreement, an additional ten-year term may be granted at the sole discretion of The Coca-Cola Company. We believe that our interdependent relationship with The Coca-Cola Company and the substantial cost and disruption to that company that would be caused by nonrenewals ensure that these agreements will be renewed upon expiration. The Coca-Cola Company is given the right to terminate the European Beverage Agreements before the expiration of the stated term upon the insolvency, bankruptcy, nationalization, or similar condition of our European Bottlers or the occurrence of a default under the European Beverage Agreements which is not remedied within 60 days of written notice of the default
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by The Coca-Cola Company. The European Beverage Agreements may be terminated by either party in the event foreign exchange is unavailable or local laws prevent performance. They also terminate automatically, after a certain lapse of time, if any of our European Bottlers refuse to pay a beverage base price increase for the beverage Coca-Cola. The post-mix and pre-mix authorizations are terminable by either party with 90 days prior written notice.
European Supplemental Agreement with The Coca-Cola Company
In addition to the European Beverage Agreements described above, our European Bottlers (excluding the Luxembourg distributor), The Coca-Cola Company, and The Coca-Cola Export Corporation are parties to a supplemental agreement (the European Supplemental Agreement) with regard to our European Bottlers rights pursuant to the European Beverage Agreements. The European Supplemental Agreement permits our European Bottlers to prepare, package, distribute, and sell the beverages covered by any of our European Bottlers European Beverage Agreements in any other territory of our European Bottlers, provided that we and The Coca-Cola Company shall have reached agreement upon a business plan for such beverages. The European Supplemental Agreement may be terminated, either in whole or in part by territory, by The Coca-Cola Company at any time with 90 days prior written notice.
Marketing and Other Support in Europe from The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company has no obligation under the European Beverage Agreements to participate with us in expenditures for advertising, marketing, and other support. However, it contributed to such expenditures and undertook independent advertising and marketing activities, as well as cooperative advertising and sales promotion programs in 2004. See Marketing Programs.
Beverage Agreements in Europe with Other Licensors
The beverage agreements between us and other licensors of beverage products and syrups generally give those licensors the unilateral right to change the prices for their products and syrups at any time in their sole discretion. Some of these beverage agreements have limited terms of appointment and, in most instances, prohibit us from dealing in products with similar flavors. Those agreements contain restrictions generally similar in effect to those in the European Beverage Agreements as to the use of trademarks and trade names, approved bottles, cans and labels, sale of imitations, planning, and causes for termination. As a condition to Cadbury Schweppes plcs sale of its 51% interest in the British bottler to us in February 1997, we entered into agreements concerning certain aspects of the Cadbury Schweppes products distributed by the British bottler (the Cadbury Schweppes Agreements). These agreements impose obligations upon us with respect to the marketing, sale, and distribution of Cadbury Schweppes products within the British bottlers territory. These agreements further require the British bottler to achieve certain agreed growth rates for Cadbury Schweppes brands and grant certain rights and remedies to Cadbury Schweppes if these rates are not met. These agreements also place some limitations upon the British bottlers ability to discontinue Cadbury Schweppes brands, and recognize the exclusivity of certain Cadbury Schweppes brands in their respective flavor categories. The British bottler is given the first right to any new Cadbury Schweppes brands introduced in the territory. These agreements run through 2012 and are automatically renewed for a ten-year term thereafter unless terminated by either party. In 1999, The Coca-Cola Company acquired the Cadbury Schweppes beverage brands in, among other places, the United Kingdom. The Cadbury Schweppes beverage brands were not acquired in any other countries in which our European Bottlers operate. Some Cadbury Schweppes beverage brands were acquired by assignment and others by purchase of the entity owning the brand; both methods are referred to as assignments for purposes of this section. Pursuant to the acquisition, Cadbury Schweppes assigned the Cadbury Schweppes Agreements to an affiliate of The Coca-Cola Company. The assignment did not cause a substantive modification of the terms and conditions of the Cadbury Schweppes Agreements.
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In January 2004, Nestle Waters UK Ltd. and Nestle Waters terminated their beverage agreement with our British bottler for the distribution of Ashbourne, Buxton, Perrier, and Vittel natural mineral waters in Great Britain.
The nonalcoholic beverage category of the commercial beverages industry in which we compete is highly competitive. We face competitors that differ not only between our North American and European territories, but also within individual markets in these territories. Moreover, competition exists not only in this category but also between the nonalcoholic and alcoholic categories.
Marketing, breadth of product offering, new product and package innovations, and pricing are significant factors affecting our competitive position, but the consumer and customer goodwill associated with our products trademarks is our most favorable factor. Other competitive factors include distribution and sales methods, merchandising productivity, customer service, trade and community relationships, the management of sales and promotional activities, and access to manufacturing and distribution. Management of cold drink equipment, including vending and cooler merchandising equipment, is also a competitive factor. We face strong competition by companies that produce and sell competing products to a consolidating retail sector where buyers are able to choose freely between our products and those of our competitors.
In 2004, our sales represented approximately 13% of total nonalcoholic beverage sales in our North American territories and approximately 8% of total nonalcoholic beverage sales in our European territories. Sales of our products compared to combined alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverage products in our territories would be significantly less.
Our competitors include the local bottlers of competing products and manufacturers of private label products. For example, we compete with bottlers of products of PepsiCo, Inc., Cadbury Schweppes plc, Nestle S.A., Groupe Danone, Kraft Foods Inc., and private label products including those of certain of our customers. In certain of our territories, we sell products we compete against in other territories; however, in all our territories our primary business is marketing, sale, manufacture and distribution of products of The Coca-Cola Company. Our primary competitor in each territory may vary, but within North America, our predominant competitors are The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc. and Pepsi Americas, Inc.
At December 31, 2004, we employed approximately 74,000 people about 11,000 of whom worked in our European territories.
Approximately 18,700 of our employees in North America in 169 different employee units are covered by collective bargaining agreements and approximately 8,000 of our employees in Europe are covered by local labor agreements. These bargaining agreements expire at various dates over the next seven years including some in 2005 but we believe that we will be able to renegotiate subsequent agreements upon satisfactory terms.
Packaging
Anti-litter measures have been enacted in the United States in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon, and Vermont. Some of these measures prohibit the sale of certain beverages, whether in refillable or nonrefillable containers, unless
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a deposit is charged by the retailer for the container. The retailer or redemption center refunds all or some of the deposit to the customer upon the return of the container. The containers are then returned to the bottler, which, in most jurisdictions, must pay the refund and, in certain others, must also pay a handling fee. In California, a levy is imposed on beverage containers to fund a waste recovery system. In the past, similar legislation has been proposed but not adopted elsewhere, although we anticipate that additional jurisdictions may enact such laws. Massachusetts requires the creation of a deposit transaction fund by bottlers and the payment to the state of balances in that fund that exceed three months of deposits received, net of deposits repaid to customers and interest earned. Michigan also has a statute requiring bottlers to pay to the state unclaimed container deposits.
In Canada, soft drink containers are subject to waste management measures in each of the ten provinces. Seven provinces have forced deposit schemes, of which three have half-back deposit systems whereby a deposit is collected from the consumer and one-half of the deposit amount is returned upon redemption. In Manitoba, a levy is imposed only on beverage containers to fund a multi-material (Blue Box) recovery system. Prince Edward Island requires all soft drink beverages to be sold in refillable containers. In Ontario, a new funding formula has been approved by the provincial government under the Waste Diversion Act in which industries will be responsible for 50% of the costs of the waste managed in the curbside recycling system (Blue Box), and municipalities will account for the remaining 50% of the costs. Other regulations in Ontario, which are currently not being enforced by the government, require that sales by a bottler of soft drink beverages in refillable containers must meet a minimum percentage of total sales of soft drink beverages by such bottler in refillable and nonrefillable containers within that bottlers sales areas. It is acknowledged that there is widespread industry noncompliance with such regulations.
The European Commission has issued a packaging and packing waste directive which has been incorporated into the national legislation of the European Union member states. At least 50% of our packages, by weight, distributed in the EU must be recovered and at least 15% must be recycled. The legislation sets targets for the recovery and recycling of household, commercial, and industrial packaging waste and imposes substantial responsibilities upon bottlers and retailers for implementation.
During 2004, laws in the Netherlands that had required us to use refillable plastic bottles for our products were changed to allow the use of nonrefillable packaging. We are making additional capital expenditures to build our capacity within the territory to produce this packaging. However, we believe that being able to move out of the refillable package will allow us opportunities for innovation and differentiation in package shape, size, multi-pack, and price.
We have taken actions to mitigate the adverse effects resulting from legislation concerning deposits, restrictive packaging, and escheat of unclaimed deposits which impose additional costs on us. We are unable to quantify the impact on current and future operations which may result from such legislation if enacted or enforced in the future, but the impact of any such legislation might be significant if widely enacted and enforced.
Soft Drinks in Schools
We have witnessed increased public policy challenges regarding the sale of our beverages in schools, particularly elementary, middle, and high schools. The issue of soft drinks in schools in the United States first achieved visibility in 1999 when a California state legislator proposed a restriction on the sale of soft drinks in local school districts. In 2004, Texas passed additional state-wide restrictions on the sale of soft drinks and other foods in schools, and similar regulations have been enacted in a small number of local communities. At December 31, 2004, a total of 21 states had regulations restricting the sale of soft drinks and other foods in schools. Most of these restrictions have existed for many years in connection with subsidized meal programs in schools. The focus has more recently
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turned to the growing health, nutrition, and obesity concerns of todays youth. The impact of restrictive legislation, if widely enacted, could have a negative effect on our brands, image, and reputation.
In July 2004, France passed a law banning vending machines for food and beverages in all public and private schools. The law will take effect September 1, 2005.
Excise and Value Added Taxes
Excise taxes on sales of soft drinks have been in place in various states in the United States for several years. The jurisdictions in which we operate that currently impose such taxes are Arkansas, the city of Chicago, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia. To our knowledge, no similar legislation has been enacted in any other markets served by us. Proposals have been introduced in certain states and localities that would impose a special tax on beverages sold in nonrefillable containers as a means of encouraging the use of refillable containers. However, we are unable to predict whether such additional legislation will be adopted.
Value added tax on soft drinks ranges from 3% to 19% within our bottling territories in Canada and the EU. In addition, excise taxes on sales of soft drinks are in place in Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. The existence and level of this indirect taxation on the sale of soft drinks is now a matter of legal and public debate given the need for further tax harmonization within the European Union.
Income Taxes
Our tax filings for various periods are subjected to audit by tax authorities in most jurisdictions where we conduct business. These audits may result in assessments of additional taxes that are subsequently resolved with the authorities or potentially through the courts. Currently, there are assessments involving certain of our subsidiaries, including Canada, that may not be resolved for many years. We believe we have substantial defenses to questions being raised and would pursue all legal remedies should an unfavorable outcome result. We believe we have adequately provided for any ultimate amounts that would result from these proceedings where it is probable we will pay some amounts and the amounts can be estimated; however, it is too early to predict a final outcome in these matters.
California Legislation
A California law requires that any person who exposes another to a carcinogen or a reproductive toxicant must provide a warning to that effect. Because the law does not define quantitative thresholds below which a warning is not required, virtually all manufacturers of food products are confronted with the possibility of having to provide warnings due to the presence of trace amounts of defined substances. Regulations implementing the law exempt manufacturers from providing the required warning if it can be demonstrated that the defined substances occur naturally in the product or are present in municipal water used to manufacture the product. We have assessed the impact of the law and its implementing regulations on our beverage products and have concluded that none of our products currently require a warning under the law.
Environmental Regulations
Substantially all of our facilities are subject to laws and regulations dealing with above-ground and underground fuel storage tanks and the discharge of materials into the environment. Compliance with these provisions has not had, and we do not expect such compliance to have, any material effect upon our capital expenditures, net income, financial condition or competitive position. Our beverage manufacturing operations do not use or generate a significant amount of toxic or hazardous substances. We believe that our current practices and procedures for the control and disposition of such wastes comply with applicable law. In the United States, we have been named as a potentially
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responsible party in connection with certain landfill sites where we may have been a de minimis contributor. Under current law, our potential liability for cleanup costs may be joint and several with other users of such sites, regardless of the extent of our use in relation to other users. However, in our opinion, our potential liability is not significant and will not have a materially adverse effect on our Consolidated Financial Statements.
We have adopted a plan for the testing, repair, and removal, if necessary, of underground fuel storage tanks at our bottlers in North America; this includes any necessary remediation of tank sites and the abatement of any pollutants discharged. Our plan extends to the upgrade of wastewater handling facilities, and any necessary remediation of asbestos-containing materials found in our facilities. We spent approximately $1.7 million in 2004 pursuant to this plan, and we estimate we will spend approximately $3.5 million in 2005 and $1.5 million in 2006 pursuant to this plan. In our opinion, any liabilities associated with the items covered by such plan will not have a materially adverse effect on our Consolidated Financial Statements.
Trade Regulation
Our business, as the exclusive manufacturer and distributor of bottled and canned beverage products of The Coca-Cola Company and other manufacturers within specified geographic territories, is subject to antitrust laws of general applicability. Under the United States Soft Drink Interbrand Competition Act, the exercise and enforcement of an exclusive contractual right to manufacture, distribute, and sell a soft drink product in a geographic territory is presumptively lawful if the soft drink product is in substantial and effective interbrand competition with other products of the same class in the market. We believe that such substantial and effective competition exists in each of the exclusive geographic territories in the United States in which we operate.
The treaty establishing the EU precludes restrictions of the free movement of goods among the member states. As a result, unlike our Domestic Cola and Allied Beverage Agreements, the European Beverage Agreements grant us exclusive bottling territories subject to the exception that other EU and/or European Economic Area bottlers of Coca-Cola Trademark Beverages and Allied Beverages can, in response to unsolicited orders, sell such products in our EU territories. See European Beverage Agreements.
Miscellaneous Regulations
The production, distribution, and sale of many of our products are subject to the United States Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; the Occupational Safety and Health Act; the Lanham Act; various federal, state, provincial and local environmental statutes and regulations; and various other federal, state, provincial and local statutes in the United States, Canada and Europe that regulate the production, packaging, sale, safety, advertising, labeling, and ingredients of such products, and our operations in many other respects.
Financial Information on Industry Segments and Geographic Areas
For financial information on industry segments and operations in geographic areas, see Note 17 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
Filings with the SEC
As a public company, we regularly file reports and proxy statements with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These reports are required by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and include:
| | annual reports on Form 10-K (such as this report); |
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| | quarterly reports on Form 10-Q; |
| | current reports on Form 8-K; |
| | proxy statements on Schedule 14A. |
Anyone may read and copy any of the materials we file with the SEC at the SECs Public Reference Room at 450 Fifth Street, Washington DC, 20549; information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC maintains an internet site that contains our reports, proxy and information statements, and our other SEC filings; the address of that site is http://www.sec.gov.
Also, we make our SEC filings available on our own internet site as soon as reasonably practicable after we have filed with the SEC. Our internet address is http://www.cokecce.com.
The information on our website is not incorporated by reference into this annual report on Form 10-K.
Corporate Governance
We have a Code of Business Conduct for our employees and members of our Board of Directors. A copy of the code is posted on our website. If we amend or grant any waivers of the code that are applicable to our directors or our executive officers which we do not anticipate doing we have committed that we will post these amendments or waivers on our website under Corporate Governance.
Our website also contains additional information about our corporate governance policies.
Click on the Investor Relations button to go to Corporate Governance to find, among other things:
| | Board of Director Guidelines on Significant Corporate Governance Issues |
| | Charter of the Affiliated Transaction Committee |
| | Charter of the Audit Committee |
| | Charter of the Compensation Committee |
| | Charter of the Finance Committee |
| | Charter of the Governance and Nominating Committee |
Any of these items are available in print to any shareholder who requests them. Requests should be sent to Corporate Secretary, Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc., Post Office Box 723040, Atlanta, Georgia 31139-0040.
| ITEM 2. | PROPERTIES |
Our principal properties include our executive offices, production facilities, distribution facilities, administrative offices, and service centers.
At December 31, 2004, we had:
| | 79 beverage production facilities (76 owned, the others leased) |
21 of which were solely production facilities; and
58 of which were combination production/distribution
| | 352 principal distribution facilities (266 owned, the others leased) |
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One of our properties is subject to a lien to secure indebtedness, with an aggregate principal balance of approximately $4 million at December 31, 2004.
Of the leased facilities, 6 leases are under revenue bonds issued by local development authorities, having an approximate principal balance of $141 million at December 31, 2004. Under these leases, the property is deeded to us at the end of the term.
Our facilities cover approximately 44 million square feet in the aggregate. We believe that our facilities are generally sufficient to meet our present operating needs.
At December 31, 2004, we owned and operated approximately 54,000 vehicles of all types used in our operations. Of this number, approximately 5,600 vehicles were leased; the rest were owned. We owned about 2.5 million coolers, beverage dispensers, and vending machines at the end of 2004.
During 2004, our capital expenditures were approximately $946 million.
| ITEM 3. | LEGAL PROCEEDINGS |
We have been named as a potentially responsible party (PRP) at several federal and state Superfund sites.
| | In 1994, we were named a PRP at the Waste Disposal Engineering site in Andover, Minnesota, a former landfill. The claim against us is approximately $110,000; however, if this site is a qualified landfill under Minnesota law, the entire cost of remediation may be paid by the state without any contribution from any PRP. |
| | In 1999, we acquired all of the stock of CSL of Texas, Inc. (CSL), which owns an 18.4 acre tract on Holleman Drive, College Station, Texas, that was contaminated by prior industrial users of the property. Cleanup is to be performed under the Texas Voluntary Cleanup Program overseen by the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission and is estimated to cost $2 to 4 million. We believe we are entitled to reimbursement for our costs from CSLs former shareholders. |
| | In 2001, we were named as one of several thousand PRPs at the Beede Waste Oil Superfund site in Plaistow, New Hampshire, which had operated from the 1920s until 1994 in the business of waste oil reprocessing and related activities. In 1990, our facility in Waltham, Massachusetts sent waste oil and contaminated soil to the site in the course of removing an underground storage tank and remediating the surrounding property. The EPA and the state of New Hampshire have spent almost $22 million on the investigation and initial cleanup of the site, and the cost to complete the cleanup has been estimated to be $48 million. Settling small volume PRPs have contributed over $17 million towards the site costs. The EPA expects the larger volume PRPs, including us, to take over the cleanup, but a formal arrangement to do so has not occurred, and our share of the costs has not been determined. |
| | In October 2002, the City of Los Angeles filed a complaint against eight named and ten unnamed defendants seeking cost recovery, contribution, and declaratory relief for alleged contamination at various boat yards in the Port of Los Angeles that occurred over a period of decades. The cleanup cost at the Port may run into the millions of dollars. Our subsidiary BCI Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Los Angeles was named as a defendant as the alleged successor to the liabilities of a company called Pacific American Industries, Inc., which was the parent of a company called San Pedro Boat Works that operated a boat works business at the port from 1969 until 1974. We filed an answer to the complaint in March 2003 denying liability. The facts are still being investigated but discovery has been delayed because of the criminal indictment of one of the other defendants, and because of court-ordered mediation. |
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| | We have been named at another thirty-seven federal, and another ten state, Superfund sites. However, with respect to those sites, we have concluded, based upon our investigations, either (i) that we were not responsible for depositing hazardous waste and therefore will have no further liability; (ii) that payments to date would be sufficient to satisfy our liability; or (iii) that our ultimate liability, if any, for such site would be less than $100,000. |
In 2000, we and The Coca-Cola Company were found by a Texas jury to be jointly liable in a combined amount of $15.2 million to five plaintiffs, each a distributor of competing beverage products. These distributors sued alleging that we and The Coca-Cola Company engaged in anticompetitive marketing practices. The trial courts verdict was upheld by the Texas Court of Appeals in July 2003. We and The Coca-Cola Company argued our appeals before the Texas Supreme Court in November 2004. That court has not yet released a decision. Should the trial courts verdict not be overturned, this fact would not have an adverse effect on our Consolidated Financial Statements. The claims of the three remaining plaintiffs in this case remain to be tried. We intend to vigorously defend against these claims and have not provided for any potential awards for these additional claims.
On October 19, 2004, the European Commission (the EC) received a proposed undertaking from our European bottler, relating to various commercial practices under investigation. This investigation, which had commenced in 2000, involved allegations of abuse by us of an alleged dominant position under Article 82 of the EC Treaty. Our undertaking is identical to other undertakings delivered by The Coca-Cola Company and certain of its other European bottlers. The commitments set forth in the undertaking have been published for third-party comments and circulated among all of the member states of the European Union. The European Commission will consider any responses from those sources, as well as its own analysis, before the undertaking becomes final and binding.
In 2003, the French competition council launched a new investigation of the soft drink sector in France, mostly focused on the cold drink channel. Investigators have met with various operators, including our bottler, as well as with many customers, and have requested documents.
In 2001, the Belgian Competition Service, following an investigation of our Belgian bottlers channel pricing, rebate, and promotional policies, issued a statement of objections charging our bottler with allegations of price discrimination both within Belgium and in the export market. We have disputed the findings of the statement of objections. The matter has been referred to the Belgian Competition Council, which can decide to adopt the statement of objections, modify it, or not to pursue the matter. Our Belgian bottler has proposed an undertaking with respect to the commercial practices under investigation. If the undertaking is accepted by the Belgian Competition Council, this could conclude the investigation.
We and our California subsidiary have been sued by several current and former employees over alleged violations of state wage and hour rules. In two sets of matters, one involving class action allegations that certain California mid-level managers were improperly classified as exempt from overtime regulations (styled Santilli, et al. vs. Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc., et al., and filed on November 9, 2001 in the Superior Court of San Bernardino Superior County) and a second involving individual claims of retaliation (styled Saucedo, et al. vs. Coca-Cola Enterprises et al., and filed January 18, 2002 in San Bernardino Superior Court), the parties have reached an agreement in principle that will resolve the matters. It is expected that those settlements will be concluded shortly, and the related lawsuits dismissed. In another suit, styled Juarez, et al. vs. BCI Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Los Angeles, et al., and filed March 6, 2002 in Fresno County Superior Court, the parties have also reached agreement on settlement. Pursuant to the settlement, up to a maximum of $5,000,000 would be made available for the plaintiffs claims and all costs and attorneys fees. It is expected that the Juarez class settlement, which is subject to court approval, will be concluded later this year. Each of these settlements has already been accounted for in our Consolidated Financial Statements. The remaining California matters
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concern class allegations that hourly employees were required to work off the clock. Those matters, combined in a consolidated proceeding styled In re BCI Overtime Cases pending in San Bernardino Superior Court (the first consolidated suit was filed July 18, 2001), remain pending, and at this time it is not possible to predict the outcome.
There are various other lawsuits and claims pending against us, including claims for injury to persons or property. We believe that such claims are covered by insurance with financially responsible carriers or adequate provisions for losses have been recognized by us in our Consolidated Financial Statements. In our opinion, the losses that might result from such litigation arising from these claims will not have a materially adverse effect on our Consolidated Financial Statements.
| ITEM 4. | SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS |
Not applicable.
| ITEM 5. | MARKET FOR REGISTRANTS COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES |
LISTED AND TRADED: New York Stock Exchange
TRADED: Boston, Chicago, National,
Pacific, and Philadelphia Exchanges
Common shareowners of record as of February 25, 2005: 14,964
STOCK PRICES
| 2004 | High | Low | ||||
| Fourth Quarter |
$ | 22.23 | $ | 18.46 | ||
| Third Quarter |
28.76 | 18.45 | ||||
| Second Quarter |
29.34 | 23.95 | ||||
| First Quarter |
24.50 | 20.90 | ||||
| 2003 | High | Low | ||||
| Fourth Quarter |
$ | 22.72 | $ | 18.53 | ||
| Third Quarter |
19.61 | 16.85 | ||||
| Second Quarter |
20.41 | 18.40 | ||||
| First Quarter |
23.30 | 17.75 | ||||
DIVIDENDS
Regular quarterly dividends in the amount of $0.04 per share have been paid since July 1, 1998.
The information under the heading Equity Compensation Plan Information in our proxy statement for the annual meeting of our shareowners to be held April 29, 2005 (our 2005 Proxy Statement) is incorporated into this report by reference.
22
SHARE REPURCHASES
The following table presents information with respect to our repurchases of common stock of the Company, made during the fourth quarter of 2004:
| Period |
Total Number of Shares Purchased (A) |
Average Price Paid per Share |
Total Number of Shares Purchased As Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs |
Maximum Number Under the Plans or Programs | ||||
| October 2, 2004 through October 29, 2004 |
| | None | 33,283,579 | ||||
| October 30, 2004 through November 26, 2004 |
| | None | 33,283,579 | ||||
| November 27, 2004 through December 31, 2004 |
1,073,824 | 20.18 | None | 33,283,579 | ||||
| Total |
1,073,824 | 20.18 | None | 33,283,579 | ||||
| (A) | Of the number of shares reported as repurchased, 748,825 are attributable to shares surrendered to Coca-Cola Enterprises subject to employees deferral elections under our Stock Deferral Plan. These shares will be distributed to the participating employees at a later date; 286,206 are attributable to the shares surrendered to Coca-Cola Enterprises to pay the exercise price of employee stock options; and 20,453 are attributable to shares surrendered to Coca-Cola Enterprises in payment of tax obligations related either to the vesting of restricted shares or distributions from our Stock Deferral Plan. |
23
| ITEM 6. | SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA |
| FISCAL YEAR |
|||||||||||||||||
| (in millions, except per share data) |
2004 |
2003 |
2002 |
2001 |
2000 |
||||||||||||
| OPERATIONS SUMMARY |
|||||||||||||||||
| Net operating revenues(A)(B) |
$ | 18,158 | $ | 17,330 | $ | 16,058 | $ | 14,999 | $ | 14,127 | |||||||
| Cost of sales(A) |
10,771 | 10,165 | 9,458 | 9,015 | 8,291 | ||||||||||||
| Gross profit |
7,387 | 7,165 | 6,600 | 5,984 | 5,836 | ||||||||||||
| Selling, delivery, and administrative expenses(A)(B) |
5,951 | 5,588 | 5,236 | 5,383 | 4,710 | ||||||||||||
| Operating income |
1,436 | 1,577 | 1,364 | 601 | 1,126 | ||||||||||||
| Interest expense, net |
619 | 607 | 662 | 753 | 791 | ||||||||||||
| Other nonoperating income (expense), net |
1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | (2 | ) | |||||||||||
| Income (loss) before income taxes and cumulative effect of change in accounting |
818 | 972 | 705 | (150 | ) | 333 | |||||||||||
| Income tax expense (benefit)(C) |
222 | 296 | 211 | (131 | ) | 97 | |||||||||||
| Net income (loss) before cumulative effect of change in accounting |
596 | 676 | 494 | (19 | ) | 236 | |||||||||||
| Cumulative effect of change in accounting |
| | | (302 | ) | | |||||||||||
| Net income (loss) |
596 | 676 | 494 | (321 | ) | 236 | |||||||||||
| Preferred stock dividends |
| 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||||
| Net income (loss) applicable to common shareowners |
$ | 596 | $ | 674 | $ | 491 | $ | (324 | ) | $ | 233 | ||||||
| OTHER OPERATING DATA |
|||||||||||||||||
| Depreciation expense |
$ | 1,068 | $ | 1,022 | $ | 965 | $ | 901 | $ | 810 | |||||||
| Capital asset investments |
946 | 1,099 | 1,029 | 972 | 1,181 | ||||||||||||
| AVERAGE COMMON SHARES OUTSTANDING |
|||||||||||||||||
| Basic |
465 | 454 | 449 | 432 | 419 | ||||||||||||
| Diluted |
473 | 461 | 458 | 432 | 429 | ||||||||||||
| PER SHARE DATA |
|||||||||||||||||
| Basic net income (loss) per common share before cumulative effect of change in accounting |
$ | 1.28 | $ | 1.48 | $ | 1.09 | $ | (0.05 | ) | $ | 0.56 | ||||||
| Diluted net income (loss) per common share before cumulative effect of change in accounting |
1.26 | 1.46 | 1.07 | (0.05 | ) | 0.54 | |||||||||||
| Basic net income (loss) per share applicable to common shareowners |
1.28 | 1.48 | 1.09 | (0.75 | ) | 0.56 | |||||||||||
| Diluted net income (loss) per share applicable to common shareowners |
1.26 | 1.46 | 1.07 | (0.75 | ) | 0.54 | |||||||||||
| Dividends per share applicable to common shareowners |
0.16 | 0.16 | 0.16 | 0.16 | 0.16 | ||||||||||||
| Closing stock price |
20.85 | 21.87 | 21.72 | 18.94 | 19.00 | ||||||||||||
| YEAR-END FINANCIAL POSITION |
|||||||||||||||||
| Property, plant, and equipment, net |
$ | 6,913 | $ | 6,794 | $ | 6,393 | $ | 6,206 | $ | 5,783 | |||||||
| Franchise license intangible assets, net |
14,517 | 14,171 | 13,450 | 13,125 | 12,862 | ||||||||||||
| Total assets |
26,354 | 25,700 | 24,375 | 23,719 | 22,162 | ||||||||||||
| Total debt |
11,130 | 11,646 | 12,023 | 12,169 | 11,121 | ||||||||||||
| Shareowners equity |
5,378 | 4,365 | 3,347 | 2,820 | 2,834 | ||||||||||||
| Pro Forma Amounts Applying the Accounting Change to Prior Periods and the Adoption of SFAS 142 to Prior Periods(D): |
|||||||||||||||||
| Net income applicable to common shareowners |
$ | 596 | $ | 674 | $ | 491 | $ | 227 | $ | 414 | |||||||
| Basic net income per share applicable to common shareowners |
1.28 | 1.48 | 1.09 | 0.53 | 0.99 | ||||||||||||
| Diluted net income per share applicable to common shareowners |
1.26 | 1.46 | 1.07 | 0.52 | 0.97 | ||||||||||||
24
We made acquisitions in each year presented, except 2004. Such transactions did not significantly affect our operating results in any one fiscal period. All acquisitions have been included in our Consolidated Financial Statements from their respective transaction dates.
| (A) | Balances reflect the adoption of Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) No. 02-16, Accounting by a Customer (Including a Reseller) for Cash Consideration Received from a Vendor (EITF 02-16). Upon adoption of EITF 02-16 in the first quarter of 2003, we classified the following amounts in the 2002, 2001, and 2000 income statements as reductions in cost of sales: approximately $882 million, $651 million, and $573 million, respectively, of direct marketing support from The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) and other licensors previously included in net operating revenues, and approximately $77 million, $74 million, and $219 million, respectively, of cold drink equipment placement funding from TCCC previously included as a reduction in selling, delivery, and administrative expenses for the years ended December 31, 2002, 2001, 2000. We also classified in net operating revenues $51 million, $45 million, and $41 million, respectively, of net payments for dispensing equipment repair services received from TCCC, previously included in selling, delivery, and administrative expenses for the years ended December 31, 2002, 2001, and 2000. |
| (B) | Balances reflect the adoption of EITF No. 01-09, effective as of January 1, 2002. The adoption of this pronouncement resulted in the reclassification to deductions from net operating revenues of approximately $95 million and $91 million in 2001 and 2000, respectively, previously classified as selling expenses. |
| (C) | Income tax expense (benefit) includes the impact of favorable tax rate changes of $20 million in 2004, $16 million in 2002, $56 million in 2001, $8 million in 2000 and unfavorable tax rate changes of $23 million in 2003. Income tax expense (benefit) also includes benefits of approximately $25 million related to the revaluation of various income tax obligations and $6 million related to other tax adjustments in 2003 and $4 million related to the revaluation of various income tax obligations in 2002. |
| (D) | Pro forma amounts (1) assume the accounting change for Jumpstart payments received from TCCC, adopted as of January 1, 2001, was applied retroactively without regard to any changes in the business that could have resulted had the accounting been different in these periods and (2) illustrate the impact of adopting the non-amortization provisions of SFAS 142 for all periods presented. |
25
| ITEM 7. | MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS |
Managements Financial Review
Overview
Business
Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. (we, our, or us) is the worlds largest marketer, producer, and distributor of bottle and can nonalcoholic beverages. We market, produce, and distribute our bottle and can products to customers and consumers through license territories in 46 states in the United States, the District of Columbia, and the 10 provinces of Canada (collectively referred to as North America). We are also the sole licensed bottler for products of The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) in Belgium, continental France, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Monaco, and the Netherlands (collectively referred to as Europe).
Financial Performance
Our net income applicable to common shareowners decreased to $596 million, or $1.26 per diluted common share in 2004, compared to net income applicable to common shareowners of $674 million, or $1.46 per diluted common share in 2003. Our 2004 results include (1) a $20 million ($0.04 per diluted common share) benefit from tax rate reductions and (2) an increase in our cost of sales of $41 million ($26 million net of tax, or $0.05 per diluted common share) related to the transition to our new concentrate pricing structure in North America. Our 2003 results include (1) an $8 million ($0.01 per diluted common share) benefit from tax rate reductions; (2) $68 million ($44 million net of tax, or $0.10 per diluted common share) in net insurance proceeds; (3) a $14 million ($9 million net of tax, or $0.02 per diluted common share) gain from the settlement of pre-acquisition contingencies; and (4) an $8 million ($5 million net of tax, or $0.01 per diluted common share) gain on the sale of a hot-fill facility.
Revenue Growth
During 2004, our revenue management efforts continued to yield consistent pricing improvements in both North America and Europe. Our net pricing increased 3.0 percent in North America and 1.5 percent in Europe. We experienced a decrease in our overall volume, including a 1.0 percent decline in North America and a 4.5 percent decline in Europe.
Our North American pricing performance for the year indicates that our revenue management initiatives were successful. Our volume results were impacted by a slow retail environment during our peak summer selling season and ongoing health and wellness trends. Our diet brands increased 6.5 percent for the year in North America, which included the introduction of diet Coke with lime and diet Sprite Zero. We also launched our new mid-calorie cola, Coca-Cola C2, to help capitalize on the increasing consumer demand for lower-calorie beverages. We experienced lower volumes of Coca-Cola trademark products and Sprite, but had solid growth in Dasani and Powerade.
Our European performance was negatively impacted by an abnormally cool and rainy summer during 2004, as compared to the record-setting summer heat of 2003. Our overall volume decline was also attributable to a decrease in water volume, which was due to discontinuing the distribution of Nestle water brands in Great Britain in anticipation of the introduction of Dasani in that market. We subsequently withdrew Dasani from the Great Britain market.
26
Expense Management
We continued to implement key initiatives to manage our costs. During 2004, our underlying selling, delivery, and administrative expenses increased at a rate less than inflation. This result reflects our ongoing efforts to manage our operating expenses, particularly labor costs. One key initiative was the continued migration of certain administrative, financial, and accounting functions for all of our North American divisions into a single shared services center. This initiative has helped us achieve improved efficiencies and enhanced consistency in our practices.
Project Pinnacle, our multi-year effort to redesign our business processes and implement the SAP software platform, continued to progress toward our objectives of (1) developing standard global processes; (2) increasing information capabilities; and (3) providing system flexibility. The project covers key functional areas of our business and is staffed with representatives from both Europe and North America. We completed the implementation of SAP financial systems and processes in North America during July 2004. Our 2005 plans include a similar implementation in Europe during the third quarter. We are also implementing SAP human resources and payroll systems in 2005. Our main focus in 2006 will be the installation of supply chain modules. We are re-evaluating when we may proceed with modules which would cover sales and distribution and replace our existing system in this area. Including the costs of our internal resources assigned to the project, we incurred approximately $86 million in implementation costs during 2004, $55 million of which were capital costs. We expect to spend up to approximately $80 million during 2005 on this project.
Licensee of The Coca-Cola Company
Our relationship with TCCC has a great impact on our success. Our collaborative efforts will continue to be beneficial to us as we work to create new brands, to market our products more effectively, to find ways to profitably grow the entire Coca-Cola business on a sustainable basis, and to make our system more efficient. During 2004, we simplified the economic nature of our relationship to help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our system.
2005 Outlook
Our plans for 2005 emphasize four key areas that we have identified as essential to improving our business performance.
| | First, we will work to strengthen our brand portfolio, constantly focusing on building a diverse portfolio of strong brands that meet consumer needs. We will utilize strong marketplace execution to promote a full calendar of product and package innovation in 2005, including the introduction of new energy drinks, Dasani flavored waters, and additional soft drink innovation, particularly in our diet and light brands. |
| | Secondly, we will strive to optimize our revenue growth. Utilizing our strengthened revenue management capabilities, we have implemented our 2005 pricing strategy to reflect local consumer, competitive, customer, and economic conditions. |
| | Thirdly, we will continue to enhance our customer management capability. In 2005, we will continue to expand our business in emerging channels and in an expanded number of retail sectors, such as electronics stores, home improvement, and food service. We will enhance our category management capabilities and work with our customers to reach mutual profit objectives, while reinforcing the strategic role of the soft drink category. |
| | Finally, we will continue to increase our effectiveness and efficiency. We have projects underway to enhance efficiency across our business. Because labor is a significant component of our operating expenses, we are implementing a number of initiatives in |
27
| 2005 to improve labor productivity and efficiency as we work to minimize our operating expense growth. |
We are projecting earnings per diluted common share for 2005 to be in a range of low to mid $1.30s as compared to 2004 earnings per diluted common share of $1.26. This range excludes the impact of our expected accounting change to begin expensing stock options in the third quarter of 2005. We expect our overall capital spending to be approximately $1.0 to $1.1 billion during 2005.
For North America, our goal is to achieve volume growth of approximately 1.0 percent and net price per case growth of approximately 4.0 percent from our continued commitment to revenue enhancing strategies. For Europe, our goals include volume growth of approximately 4.0 percent and net price per case growth of 3.0 percent. We expect our consolidated cost of goods per case to increase approximately 4.0 to 5.0 percent including the impact of package mix shifts and a 2.0 percent increase in our concentrate price from TCCC.
Operations Review
The following table presents consolidated income statement data as a percentage of net operating revenues for the years ended December 31, 2004, 2003, and 2002:
| 2004 |
2003 |
2002 |
|||||||
| Net operating revenues |
100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | |||
| Cost of sales |
59.3 | 58.7 | 58.9 | ||||||
| Gross profit |
40.7 | 41.3 | 41.1 | ||||||
| Selling, delivery, and administrative expenses |
32.8 | 32.2 | 32.6 | ||||||
| Operating income |
7.9 | 9.1 | 8.5 | ||||||
| Interest expense, net |
3.4 | 3.5 | 4.1 | ||||||
| Other nonoperating income, net |
0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||||||
| Income before income taxes |
4.5 | 5.6 | 4.4 | ||||||
| Income tax expense |
1.2 | 1.7 | 1.3 | ||||||
| Net income |
3.3 | 3.9 | 3.1 | ||||||
| Preferred stock dividends |
0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | ||||||
| Net income applicable to common shareowners |
3.3 | % | 3.9 | % | 3.1 | % | |||
28
Operating Income
2004
Operating income decreased $141 million, or 9 percent, in 2004 to $1,436 million from $1,577 million in 2003. Our 2004 operating income includes a $41 million increase in our cost of sales related to the transition to our new concentrate pricing structure in North America. Our 2003 operating income includes (1) $68 million in net insurance proceeds; (2) a $14 million gain from the settlement of pre-acquisition contingencies; and (3) an $8 million gain on the sale of a hot-fill facility. Below are the significant components of the change in our 2004 operating income (in millions; percentages rounded to the nearest ½ percent):
| Amount |
Percent Change of Total |
||||||
| Changes in operating income: |
|||||||
| Impact of price on gross profit |
$ | 147 | 9.0 | % | |||
| Impact of volume on gross profit |
(102 | ) | (6.5 | ) | |||
| Impact of new concentrate pricing structure in 2004 |
(41 | ) | (2.5 | ) | |||
| Impact of selling, delivery, and administrative expenses increase |
(126 | ) | (8.0 | ) | |||
| Impact of net insurance proceeds, settlement of pre-acquisition contingencies, and gain on hot-fill facility in 2003 |
(90 | ) | (5.5 | ) | |||
| Impact of currency exchange rate changes |
72 | 4.5 | |||||
| Other changes in operating income |
(1 | ) | 0.0 | ||||
| Change in operating income |
$ | (141 | ) | (9.0 | )% | ||
2003
Operating income increased $213 million, or 15.5 percent, in 2003 to $1,577 million from $1,364 million in 2002. Our 2003 operating income includes (1) $68 million in net insurance proceeds; (2) a $14 million gain from the settlement of pre-acquisition contingencies; and (3) an $8 million gain on the sale of a hot-fill facility. Below are the significant components of the change in our 2003 operating income (in millions; percentages rounded to the nearest ½ percent):
| Amount |
Percent Change of Total |
||||||
| Changes in operating income: |
|||||||
| Impact of price on gross profit |
$ | 233 | 17.0 | % | |||
| Impact of volume on gross profit |
111 | 8.0 | |||||
| Impact of selling, delivery, and administrative expenses increase |
(286 | ) | (21.0 | ) | |||
| Impact of net insurance proceeds, settlement of pre-acquisition contingencies, and gain on hot-fill facility in 2003 |
90 | 7.0 | |||||
| Impact of currency exchange rate changes |
63 | 4.5 | |||||
| Other changes in operating income |
2 | 0.0 | |||||
| Change in operating income |
$ | 213 | 15.5 | % | |||
29
Net Operating Revenues
2004
Net operating revenues increased 5 percent in 2004 to $18,158 million from $17,330 million in 2003. Our 2004 net operating revenues were significantly impacted by a slow retail environment during our peak summer selling season, cool weather across our territories, and a continuing decline in regular soft drink sales. These negative factors were offset by favorable currency exchange rate changes, moderate pricing increases, and an increase in the demand for low-calorie beverages. The following table presents the significant components of the change in our 2004 net operating revenues (rounded to the nearest ½ percent):
| Consolidated |
North America |
Europe |
|||||||
| Changes in net operating revenues: |
|||||||||
| Impact of price per case change |
2.5 | % | 3.0 | % | 1.5 | % | |||
| Impact of decreased volume |
(1.5 | ) | (1.0 | ) | (4.0 | ) | |||
| Impact of Belgium excise and VAT tax changes |
0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | ||||||
| Impact of currency exchange rate changes |
3.5 | 0.5 | 11.5 | ||||||
| Other operating revenue changes |
0.5 | 0.0 | 1.0 | ||||||
| Change in net operating revenues |
5.0 | % | 2.5 | % | 11.0 | % | |||
The percentage of our 2004 net operating revenues derived from North America and Europe was 71 percent and 29 percent, respectively. Great Britain contributed approximately 47 percent of Europes net operating revenues in 2004.
Net operating revenue per case increased 6.5 percent in 2004 versus 2003. The following table presents the significant components of the change in our 2004 net operating revenue per case (rounded to the nearest ½ percent and based on wholesale physical case volume):
| Consolidated |
North America |
Europe |
|||||||
| Changes in net operating revenue per case: |
|||||||||
| Impact of bottle and can net price per case change |
2.5 | % | 3.0 | % | 1.5 | % | |||
| Impact of Belgium excise and VAT tax changes |
0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | ||||||
| Impact of currency exchange rates |
3.5 | 0.5 | 11.5 | ||||||
| Impact of post mix revenues, agency revenues, and other revenues |
0.5 | 0.0 | 1.0 | ||||||
| Change in net operating revenue per case |
6.5 | % | 3.5 | % | 15.0 | % | |||
Our bottle and can sales accounted for 92 percent of our net operating revenues during 2004. Bottle and can net pricing is based on the invoice price charged to customers reduced by promotional allowances. Bottle and can net pricing per case is impacted by the price charged per package, the volume generated in each package, and the channels in which those packages are sold. To the extent we are able to increase volume in higher margin packages that are sold through higher margin channels, our bottle and can net pricing per case will increase without an actual increase in wholesale pricing. For example, we typically charge a lower net price per case and realize a lower gross profit per case on a physical case of 12-ounce cans sold in a supermarket than a case of 20-ounce bottles sold in convenience stores. The increase in our 2004 bottle and can net pricing per case reflects our continued commitment to revenue enhancing pricing strategies throughout North America and Europe.
30
We participate in various programs and arrangements with customers designed to increase the sale of our products by these customers. Among the programs with customers are arrangements in which allowances can be earned by the customer for attaining agreed-upon sales levels and/or for participating in specific marketing programs. Coupon programs and under-the-cap promotions are also developed on a territory-specific basis with the intent of increasing sales for all customers. The cost of all of these various programs, included as a deduction in net operating revenues, totaled approximately $1.9 billion and $1.7 billion in 2004 and 2003, respectively. The cost of these programs as a percentage of gross revenues was approximately 6.2 percent in both 2004 and 2003.
We frequently participate with TCCC in contractual arrangements at specific athletic venues, school districts, and other locations, whereby we obtain exclusive pouring or vending rights at a specific location in exchange for cash payments. We record our obligation under each contract at inception and defer and amortize the total required payments using the straight-line method over the term of the contract. At December 31, 2004, the net unamortized balance of these arrangements, included in customer distribution rights and other noncurrent assets, net on our Consolidated Balance Sheet, totaled approximately $546 million (consisting of capitalized amounts of $1,052 million, net of $506 million in accumulated amortization). Amortization expense on these assets, included as a deduction in net operating revenues, totaled approximately $150 million and $143 million in 2004 and 2003, respectively.
2003
Net operating revenues increased 8 percent in 2003 to $17,330 million from $16,058 million in 2002. Significant items that impacted our 2003 net operating revenue growth included unseasonably warm weather in Europe and our efforts to increase pricing in North America. The following table presents the significant components of the increase in our 2003 net operating revenues (rounded to the nearest 1/2 percent):
| Consolidated |
North America |
Europe |
|||||||
| Changes in net operating revenues: |
|||||||||
| Impact of price per case change |
2.5 | % | 2.0 | % | 2.5 | % | |||
| Impact of increased volume |
1.5 | 0.0 | 7.5 | ||||||
| Impact of currency exchange rate changes |
4.0 | 0.5 | 15.0 | ||||||
| Change in net operating revenues |
8.0 | % | 2.5 | % | 25.0 | % | |||
The percentage of our 2003 net operating revenues derived from North America and Europe was 73 percent and 27 percent, respectively. Great Britain contributed approximately 48 percent of Europes net operating revenues in 2003.
31
Net operating revenue per case increased 6 percent in 2003 versus 2002. The following table presents the significant components of the change in our 2003 net operating revenue per case (rounded to the nearest 1/2 percent and based on wholesale physical case volume):
| Consolidated |
North America |
Europe |
|||||||
| Changes in net operating revenue per case: |
|||||||||
| Impact of bottle and can net price per case change |
2.5 | % | 2.0 | % | 2.5 | % | |||
| Impact of currency exchange rates |
4.0 | 0.5 | 14.5 | ||||||
| Impact of post mix revenues, agency revenues, and other revenues |
(0.5 | ) | 0.0 | (0.5 | ) | ||||
| Change in net operating revenue per case |
6.0 | % | 2.5 | % | 16.5 | % | |||
Our bottle and can sales accounted for 91 percent of our net operating revenues during 2003. The increase in our 2003 bottle and can net pricing per case reflects our commitment to pricing initiatives in both North America and Europe.
The cost of various programs and arrangements with customers designed to increase the sale of our products by these customers totaled approximately $1.7 billion and $1.5 billion in 2003 and 2002, respectively. These amounts were included as deductions in net operating revenues. The increase in the cost of these programs was primarily due to volume increases and our increased focus on improved revenue management during 2003. The cost of these programs as a percentage of gross revenues was 6.2 percent in 2003 versus 5.9 percent in 2002.
Cost of Sales
2004
Cost of sales increased 6 percent in 2004 to $10,771 million from $10,165 million in 2003. Cost of sales per case increased 7.5 percent in 2004 versus 2003. The following table presents the significant components of the change in our 2004 cost of sales per case (rounded to the nearest ½ percent and based on wholesale physical case volume):
| Consolidated |
North America |
Europe |
|||||||
| Changes in cost of sales per case: |
|||||||||
| Impact of bottle and can ingredient and packaging costs |
2.0 | % | 3.0 | % | 1.5 | % | |||
| Impact of bottle and can marketing credits and Jumpstart funding |
0.0 | (0.5 | ) | 0.5 | |||||
| Impact related to costs of post mix revenues, agency revenues, and other revenues |
0.5 | 0.0 | 2.0 | ||||||
| Impact of Belgium excise and VAT tax changes |
0.5 | 0.0 | 1.0 | ||||||
| Impact of new concentrate pricing structure in 2004 |
0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | ||||||
| Impact of currency exchange rates |
4.0 | 1.0 | 12.0 | ||||||
| Change in cost of sales per case |
7.5 | % | 4.0 | % | 17.0 | % | |||
The increase in our bottle and can ingredient and packaging costs in 2004 reflects an increase in the costs of certain materials, including aluminum, sweetener, and PET (plastic) bottles. We also experienced a moderate increase in the cost of concentrate.
32
We are implementing a project in the Netherlands to transition from the production and sale of refillable PET bottles to the production and sale of non-refillable PET bottles. The transition is planned to commence in 2005 and be completed in early 2006. The transition resulted in (1) accelerated depreciation for certain machinery and equipment, plastic crates, and refillable plastic bottles; (2) costs for removing current production lines; (3) termination and severance costs; (4) training costs; (5) external warehousing costs; and (6) operational inefficiencies. The total of these expenses is estimated to be approximately $26 million, of which, approximately $16 million were recognized during 2004. We expect the increased packaging flexibility to increase sales in the Netherlands by offering added variety and convenience to consumers.
2003
Cost of sales increased 7 percent to $10,165 million in 2003 from $9,458 million in 2002. Cost of sales per case increased 5.5 percent in 2003 versus 2002. The following table presents the significant components of the change in our 2003 cost of sales per case (rounded to the nearest ½ percent and based on wholesale physical case volume):
| Consolidated |
North America |
Europe |
|||||||
| Changes in cost of sales per case: |
|||||||||
| Impact of bottle and can ingredient and packaging costs |
1.0 | % | 0.5 | % | 1.0 | % | |||
| Impact of bottle and can marketing credits and Jumpstart funding |
0.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | ||||||
| Impact related to costs of post mix revenues, agency revenues, and other revenues |
(0.5 | ) | (0.5 | ) | 0.0 | ||||
| Impact of currency exchange rates |
4.5 | 1.0 | 14.0 | ||||||
| Change in cost of sales per case |
5.5 | % | 2.0 | % | 15.0 | % | |||
Our cost of sales per case results for 2003 reflect continued favorable can pricing that was offset by moderate PET (plastic) bottles and concentrate cost increases, including carbonated beverage concentrate cost increases for 2003 of approximately 1 percent in North America and 2 percent in Europe.
In 2003, we sold a hot-fill plant to TCCC for approximately $58 million realizing cost recoveries for operating, depreciation, and carrying costs of $8 million as a reduction of cost of sales.
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Volume
2004
The following table presents the change in our 2004 bottle and can volume versus 2003, as adjusted to reflect the impact of all acquisitions completed in 2003 as if those acquisitions were completed on January 1, 2003 (no acquisitions were made in 2004; rounded to the nearest 1/2 percent):
| Consolidated |
North America |
Europe |
|||||||
| Change in volume |
(1.5 | )% | (1.0 | )% | (4.0 | )% | |||
| Impact of acquisitions |
0.0 | 0.0 | (0.5 | ) | |||||
| Change in volume, excluding acquisitions |
(1.5 | )% | (1.0 | )% | (4.5 | )% | |||
The following table presents our 2004 volume results by major category, as adjusted to reflect the impact of all acquisitions completed in 2003 as if those acquisitions were completed on January 1, 2003 (no acquisitions were made in 2004; rounded to the nearest 1/2 percent):
| Change |
Percent of Total |
|||||
| North America: |
||||||
| My Coke Portfolio |
(0.5 | )% | 61.0 | % | ||
| Flavors |
(4.0 | ) | 25.0 | |||
| Juices, isotonics, and other |
1.0 | 8.5 | ||||
| Water |
10.0 | 5.5 | ||||
| Total |
(1.0 | )% | 100 | % | ||
| Europe: |
||||||
| My Coke Portfolio |
(1.5 | )% | 68.0 | % | ||
| Flavors |
(4.5 | ) | 21.5 | |||
| Juices, isotonics, and other |
0.0 | 8.5 | ||||
| Water |
(52.5 | ) | 2.0 | |||
| Total |
(4.5 | )% | 100 | % | ||
| Consolidated: |
||||||
| My Coke Portfolio |
(1.0 | )% | 63.0 | % | ||
| Flavors |
(4.5 | ) | 24.0 | |||
| Juices, isotonics, and other |
1.0 | 8.5 | ||||
| Water |
(3.0 | ) | 4.5 | |||
| Total |
(1.5 | )% | 100 | % | ||
In 2004 and 2003, our sales represented approximately 13 percent of the total nonalcoholic beverage sales in our North American territories and approximately 8 percent of total nonalcoholic beverage sales in our European territories.
North America comprised 76 percent of our 2004 and 2003 wholesale physical case volume. Our 2004 consolidated can volume was down 2 percent, our 2-liter PET volume decreased 6.5 percent, while our 1.5-liter PET volume increased 5.5 percent. Additionally, our 20-ounce PET volume was flat year over year.
In 2004, our My Coke Portfolio, which includes all regular and diet Coca-Cola trademark products, decreased 1.0 percent on a consolidated basis. The sale of our regular Coca-Cola
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trademark products decreased 4.0 percent on a consolidated basis in 2004, while our diet Coca-Cola trademark products increased 4.0 percent on a consolidated basis and 5.0 percent in North America. The introduction of diet Coke with lime, along with an increase in diet Coke volume contributed to the improved results of our diet Coca-Cola trademark products.
The performance of our consolidated My Coke Portfolio in 2004 continued to indicate a consumer preference for more diet and low-calorie products. Consumers are demanding more beverage choices and we must have the products and packages available to accommodate their desires and needs. This is particularly important in our education channel. Our total education channel, consisting primarily of high schools, colleges and universities, contributed approximately 2.5 percent of our total wholesale physical case volume in 2004. With a portfolio that includes juices and juice drinks, hydration and energy brands such as Dasani, Evian, and Powerade, and our various diet brands, we believe we are in an excellent position to meet the health and wellness sensitivities of the education channel.
On a consolidated basis, the decrease in flavors volume was primarily attributable to a 5.5 percent decrease in Sprite, partially offset by an increase in Fanta products. The 1.0 percent increase in juices, isotonics, and other, on a consolidated basis, reflects an increase in the sale of Powerade, offset by a slight decrease in the sale of Minute Maid products and Nestea. The performance of our water brands in North America reflects an increase in Dasani sales. The decrease in water volume in Europe is due to discontinuing the distribution of Nestle water brands in Great Britain in anticipation of the introduction of Dasani in that market. We subsequently withdrew Dasani from the Great Britain market.
2003
The following table presents the change in our 2003 bottle and can volume versus 2002, as adjusted to reflect the impact of all acquisitions completed in 2003 and 2002 as if those acquisitions were completed on January 1, 2002 (rounded to the nearest ½ percent):
| Consolidated |
North America |
Europe |
|||||||
| Change in volume |
2.0 | % | 0.5 | % | 7.5 | % | |||
| Impact of acquisitions |
(0.5 | ) | (0.5 | ) | (2.0 | ) | |||
| Change in volume, excluding acquisitions |
1.5 | % | 0.0 | % | 5.5 | % | |||
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The following table presents our 2003 volume results by major category, as adjusted to reflect the impact of all acquisitions completed in 2003 and 2002 as if those acquisitions were completed on January 1, 2002 (rounded to the nearest 1/2 percent):
| Change |
Percent of Total |
|||||
| North America: |
||||||
| My Coke Portfolio |
(1.0 | )% | 61.0 | % | ||
| Flavors |
1.0 | 26.0 | ||||
| Juices, isotonics, and other |
(1.0 | ) | 8.0 | |||
| Water |
12.5 | 5.0 | ||||
| Total |
0.0 | % | 100 | % | ||
| Europe: |
||||||
| My Coke Portfolio |
6.0 | % | 66.5 | % | ||
| Flavors |
3.0 | 22.0 | ||||
| Juices, isotonics, and other |
1.0 | 8.0 | ||||
| Water |
25.0 | 3.5 | ||||
| Total |
5.5 | % | 100 | % | ||
| Consolidated: |
||||||
| My Coke Portfolio |
1.0 | % | 62.0 | % | ||
| Flavors |
1.0 | 25.0 | ||||
| Juices, isotonics, and other |
(1.0 | ) | 8.0 | |||
| Water |
14.5 | 5.0 | ||||
| Total |
1.5 | % | 100 | % | ||
North America comprised 76 percent and 77 percent of our 2003 and 2002 wholesale physical case volume, respectively. Our 2003 consolidated can volume was approximately the same as 2002. Our 500-ml PET volume increased 12 percent on a consolidated basis, 8 percent in North America, and 16 percent in Europe. The new 24-ounce PET bottle generated very positive consumer response during 2003, its first full year of distribution in North America.
The performance of our My Coke Portfolio in 2003 indicated a consumer preference for more diet and low-calorie beverages. Diet Coke/Coke light volume increased approximately 4 percent on a consolidated basis for 2003. In North America, the reintroduction of diet Cherry Coke and the introduction of diet Vanilla Coke in 2002 partially offset lower volume of Coca-Cola classic in 2003. In Europe, the success of Coke light with lemon and the introduction of diet Vanilla Coke, along with the introduction of Vanilla Coke, contributed to a significant growth in trademark brands in 2003.
On a consolidated basis, the increase in our flavors volume was attributable to a 9 percent increase in Fanta volume for the year. The performance of our water brands was mostly due to strong sales of Dasani in North America. Europes water growth benefited from the unseasonably warm summer weather and the acquisition of the Chaudfontaine water brand.
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Selling, Delivery, and Administrative Expenses
2004
Selling, delivery, and administrative (SD&A) expenses increased $363 million, or 6.5 percent, to $5,951 million in 2004 from $5,588 million in 2003. The following table presents the significant components of the change in our 2004 SD&A expenses (in millions; percentages rounded to the nearest 1/2 percent):
| Amount |
Percent Change of Total |
|||||
| Changes in SD&A expenses: |
||||||
| Impact of administrative expenses |
$ | 37 | 0.5 | % | ||
| Impact of delivery and merchandise expenses |
40 | 0.5 | ||||
| Impact of selling and marketing expenses |
16 | 0.5 | ||||
| Impact of other expenses |
33 | 0.5 | ||||
| Impact of net insurance proceeds and settlement of pre-acquisition contingencies in 2003 |
82 | 1.5 | ||||
| Impact of currency exchange rate changes |
155 | 3.0 | ||||
| Change in SD&A expenses |
$ | 363 | 6.5 | % | ||
During 2004, our SD&A expenses increased $238 million in North America and $125 million in Europe. Currency exchange rate changes contributed $29 million and $126 million, respectively, to the North America and Europe increases. In addition, our 2003 SD&A expenses for North America include (1) a $21 million benefit related to the receipt of insurance proceeds and (2) a $14 million gain from the settlement of pre-acquisition contingencies. Our 2003 SD&A expenses in Europe include a $47 million benefit related to the receipt of insurance proceeds.
SD&A expenses as a percentage of net operating revenues was 32.8 percent and 32.2 percent in 2004 and 2003, respectively. The increase in SD&A expenses as a percentage of net operating revenues in 2004 versus 2003 was primarily the result of net insurance proceeds and favorable pre-acquisition settlements in 2003.
Depreciation expense increased $46 million to $1,068 million in 2004 from $1,022 million in 2003. Approximately $36 million of this increase was the result of changes in foreign currency. The remaining increase was primarily the result of accelerated depreciation associated with our PET (plastic) bottle project in the Netherlands discussed above.
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2003
SD&A expenses increased $352 million, or 7 percent, to $5,588 million in 2003 from $5,236 million in 2002. The following table presents the significant components of the change in our 2003 SD&A expenses (in millions; percentages rounded to the nearest 1/2 percent):
| Amount |
Percent Change of Total |
||||||
| Changes in SD&A expenses: |
|||||||
| Impact of administrative expenses |
$ | 85 | 1.5 | % | |||
| Impact of delivery and merchandise expenses |
98 | 2.0 | |||||
| Impact of warehousing expenses |
34 | 0.5 | |||||
| Impact of other expenses |
69 | 1.5 | |||||
| Impact of net insurance proceeds and settlement of pre-acquisition contingencies in 2003 |
(82 | ) | (1.5 | ) | |||
| Impact of currency exchange rate changes |
148 | 3.0 | |||||
| Change in SD&A expenses |
$ | 352 | 7.0 | % | |||
During 2003, our SD&A expenses increased $176 million in both North America and Europe. Currency exchange rate changes contributed $27 million and $121 million, respectively, to the North America and Europe increases. In addition, our 2003 SD&A expenses for North America include (1) a $21 million benefit related to the receipt of insurance proceeds and (2) a $14 million gain from the settlement of pre-acquisition contingencies. Our 2003 SD&A expenses in Europe include a $47 million benefit related to the receipt of insurance proceeds.
SD&A expenses as a percentage of net operating revenues was 32.2 percent and 32.6 percent in 2003 and 2002, respectively. The decrease in 2003 from 2002 was the result of increases in volume and net pricing per case partially offset by moderate SD&A cost growth.
Depreciation expense increased $57 million to $1,022 million for 2003 from $965 million in 2002. Approximately $55 million of this increase was in SD&A expenses with the remaining increase in cost of sales. The increase in depreciation expense in 2003 was the result of increased capital expenditures in recent years.
Interest Expense
2004
Interest expense, net increased 2 percent in 2004 to $619 million from $607 million in 2003. The 2004 increase was the result of higher interest rates and currency exchange rate changes, offset by a lower outstanding debt balance. At December 31, 2004, approximately 26 percent of our debt portfolio was comprised of floating-rate debt and 74 percent was fixed-rate debt. Our weighted average cost of debt was 5.3 percent in 2004 versus 5.1 percent in 2003. Our average outstanding debt balance in 2004 was $11.3 billion as compared to $12.0 billion in 2003.
2003
Interest expense, net decreased 8 percent in 2003 to $607 million from $662 million in 2002. The 2003 decrease was primarily due to lower interest rates and a decrease in our outstanding debt balance, offset partially by a 2 percent increase as a result of currency exchange rate changes. At December 31, 2003, approximately 27 percent of our debt portfolio was comprised
38
of floating-rate debt and 73 percent was fixed-rate debt. Our weighted average cost of debt was 5.1 percent in 2003 versus 5.5 percent in 2002. Our average outstanding debt balance for 2003 was $12.0 billion as compared to $12.3 billion for 2002.
Income Tax Expense
2004
Our effective tax rate was 27 percent and 30 percent for 2004 and 2003, respectively. These rates include tax rate reductions totaling $20 million (2 percentage point decrease in our effective tax rate) and $8 million (1 percentage point decrease in our effective rate) for 2004 and 2003, respectively. Our 2004 tax rate reductions were due to the benefit of favorable tax rate changes, primarily in Europe. Our 2003 tax rate reductions resulted from the revaluation of various income tax obligations of approximately $25 million and other tax adjustments of $6 million, offset by the unfavorable impact of provincial tax rate changes in Canada totaling approximately $23 million.
2003
Our effective tax rate was 30 percent for 2003 and 2002. These rates include tax rate reductions totaling $8 million (1 percentage point decrease in our effective tax rate) and $20 million (3 percentage point decrease in our effective rate) for 2003 and 2002, respectively. Our 2003 tax rate reductions resulted from the revaluation of various income tax obligations of approximately $25 million and other tax adjustments of $6 million, offset by the unfavorable impact of provincial tax rate changes in Canada totaling approximately $23 million. Our 2002 tax rate reductions were due to the benefit of favorable tax items resulting from rate reductions in Canada and Belgium of approximately $16 million and the revaluation of various income tax obligations of approximately $4 million.
Relationship With The Coca-Cola Company
We are a marketer, producer, and distributor principally of Coca-Cola products with approximately 94 percent of our sales volume consisting of sales of TCCC products. Our license arrangements with TCCC are governed by licensing territory agreements. TCCC owned approximately 36 percent of our outstanding shares as of December 31, 2004. From time to time, the terms and conditions of programs with TCCC are modified upon mutual agreement of both parties.
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The following table presents transactions with TCCC that directly affected our Consolidated Statements of Income for the years ended December 31, 2004, 2003, and 2002 (in millions):
| 2004 |
2003 |
2002 |
||||||||||
| Amounts affecting net operating revenues: |
||||||||||||
| Fountain syrup and packaged product sales |
$ | 428 | $ | 403 | $ | 461 | ||||||
| Dispensing equipment repair services |
54 | 53 | 51 | |||||||||
| Other transactions |
47 | 28 | 30 | |||||||||
| Total |
$ | 529 | $ | 484 | $ | 542 | ||||||
| Amounts affecting cost of sales: |
||||||||||||
| Purchases of syrup, concentrate, and mineral water |
$ | (4,609 | ) | $ | (4,451 | ) | $ | (4,269 | ) | |||
| Purchases of sweeteners |
(309 | ) | (311 | ) | (325 | ) | ||||||
| Purchases of finished products |
(594 | ) | (633 | ) | (498 | ) | ||||||
| Marketing support funding earned |
615 | 862 | 837 | |||||||||
| Cold drink equipment placement funding earned |
50 | 72 | 74 | |||||||||
| Cost recovery from sale of hot-fill production facility |
| 8 | | |||||||||
| Total |
$ | (4,847 | ) | $ | (4,453 | ) | $ | (4,181 | ) | |||
| Amounts affecting selling, delivery, and administrative expenses: |
||||||||||||
| Marketing program payments |
$ | (22 | ) | $ | (2 | ) | $ | (16 | ) | |||
| Operating expense cost reimbursements: |
||||||||||||
| To TCCC |
| (18 | ) | (18 | ) | |||||||
| From TCCC |
25 | 43 | 38 | |||||||||
| Total |
$ | 3 | $ | 23 | $ | 4 | ||||||
Fountain Syrup and Packaged Product Sales
We sell fountain syrup to TCCC in certain territories and deliver this syrup to certain major fountain accounts of TCCC. We will, on behalf of TCCC, invoice and collect amounts receivable for these fountain sales. We also sell bottle and can products to TCCC at prices that are generally similar to the prices charged by us to our major customers.
Purchases of Syrup, Concentrate, Mineral Water, Sweeteners, and Finished Products
We purchase syrup, concentrate, and mineral water requirements from TCCC to produce, package, distribute, and sell TCCC products under licensing agreements. These licensing agreements give TCCC complete discretion to set prices of syrup and concentrate. Pricing of mineral water is based on contractual arrangements with TCCC. We also purchase finished products and fountain syrup from TCCC for sale within certain of our territories and have an agreement with TCCC to purchase from them substantially all our requirements for sweeteners in the United States.
Marketing Support Funding Earned and Other Arrangements
We and TCCC engage in a variety of marketing programs, local media advertising, and other similar arrangements to promote the sale of products of TCCC in territories in which we operate. The amounts to be paid under the programs are determined annually and as the programs progress during the year. TCCC is under no obligation to participate in the programs or continue past levels of funding in the future. The amounts paid and terms of similar programs may differ with other licensees. Marketing support funding programs funded to us provide financial support principally based on product sales to offset a portion of the costs to us of the programs. TCCC also administers certain other marketing programs directly with our customers. During 2004, 2003, and 2002, direct-marketing support paid or payable to us, or to customers in our territories
40
by TCCC, totaled approximately $719 million, $1.0 billion, and $1.0 billion, respectively. We recognized $615 million, $862 million, and $837 million of these amounts as a reduction in cost of sales during 2004, 2003, and 2002, respectively. Amounts paid directly to our customers by TCCC during 2004, 2003, and 2002 totaled $104 million, $114 million, and $201 million, respectively, and are not included in the table above. TCCC also paid $1 million and $3 million in 2003 and 2002, respectively, directly to our customers for their participation in long-term agreements.
Effective May 1, 2004 in the United States and June 1, 2004 in Canada, we and TCCC agreed that a significant portion of our funding from TCCC would be netted against the price we pay TCCC for concentrate. As a result of this change, we and TCCC agreed to terminate the Strategic Growth Initiative (SGI) program and eliminate the Special Marketing Funds (SMF) funding program previously in place. TCCC paid us for all funding earned under the SMF funding program. Under the SGI program, we recognized $58 million, $161 million, and $150 million during 2004, 2003, and 2002, respectively, related to sales and volume growth through the termination date of the program. These amounts are included in the total amounts recognized in marketing support funding earned in the table above.
In conjunction with the above changes, we and TCCC agreed to establish a Global Marketing Fund (GMF), effective May 1, 2004, under which TCCC will pay us $61.5 million annually through December 31, 2014, as support for marketing activities. The term of the agreement will automatically be extended for successive ten-year periods thereafter unless either party gives written notice to terminate the agreement. The marketing activities to be funded under this agreement will be agreed upon each year as part of the annual joint planning process and will be incorporated into the annual marketing plans of both companies. TCCC may terminate this agreement for the balance of any year in which we fail to timely complete the marketing plans or are unable to execute the elements of those plans, when such failure is within our reasonable control. We received a pro rata amount of $41.5 million during 2004. This amount is included in the total amount recognized in marketing support funding earned in the table above.
We participate in customer trade marketing (CTM) programs in the United States administered by TCCC. We are responsible for all costs of the programs in our territories, except for the costs related to a limited number of specific customers. Under these programs, we pay TCCC and TCCC pays our customers as a representative for the North American bottling system. Amounts paid under CTM programs to TCCC for payment to customers on our behalf, included as reductions in net operating revenues, totaled $224 million for 2004, $219 million for 2003, and $248 million for 2002. These amounts are not included in the table above.
We have an agreement with TCCC under which TCCC provides support payments for the marketing of certain brands of TCCC in the Herb territories acquired in 2001. Under the terms of this agreement, we received $14 million in 2004 and 2003 and will receive $14 million annually through 2008 and $11 million in 2009. Payments received under this agreement are not refundable to TCCC. These amounts are included in the total amounts recognized in marketing support funding earned in the table above.
Cold Drink Equipment Placement Funding Earned
We participate in programs with TCCC designed to promote the placement of cold drink equipment (Jumpstart Programs). Under the Jumpstart Programs, as amended, we agree to (1) purchase and place specified numbers of venders/coolers or cold drink equipment each year
41
through 2010; (2) maintain the equipment in service, with certain exceptions, for a minimum period of 12 years after placement; (3) maintain and stock the equipment in accordance with specified standards for marketing TCCC products; and (4) report to TCCC during the period the equipment is in service whether, on average, the equipment purchased under the programs has generated a stated minimum sales volume of TCCC products. We have agreed to relocate equipment if it is not generating sufficient volume to meet minimum requirements. Movement of the equipment is required only if it is determined that, on average, sufficient volume is not being generated and it would help to ensure our performance under the programs.
During 2004, we and TCCC amended our Jumpstart agreement in North America to defer the placement of certain vending equipment from 2004 and 2005 to 2009 and 2010. In exchange for this amendment, we agreed to pay TCCC $1.5 million in 2004, $3.0 million annually in 2005 through 2008, and $1.5 million in 2009. Additionally, we and TCCC have amended our Jumpstart agreement in Europe to (1) consolidate country-specific placement requirements; (2) redefine the definition of a placement for certain large coolers; and (3) extend the agreement through 2009.
Should we not satisfy the provisions of the Jumpstart Programs, the agreements provide for the parties to meet to work out a mutually agreeable solution. Should the parties be unable to agree on alternative solutions, TCCC would be able to seek a partial refund of amounts previously paid. No refunds have ever been paid under the programs and we believe the probability of a partial refund of amounts previously received under the programs is remote. We believe we would in all cases resolve any matters that might arise regarding these programs. We and TCCC have amended prior agreements to reflect, where appropriate, modified goals, and we believe that we can continue to resolve any differences that might arise over our performance requirements under the Jumpstart Programs.
We received approximately $1.2 billion in Jumpstart support payments from TCCC during the period 1994 through 2001. There are no additional amounts payable to us from TCCC under these programs. We recognize the majority of support payments received from TCCC as we place cold drink equipment. A portion of the support payments are recognized on a straight-line basis over the 12-year period beginning after equipment is placed. We recognized a total of $50 million, $72 million, and $74 million in 2004, 2003, and 2002, respectively. The decrease in the 2004 amount as compared to 2003 reflects the reduction in equipment purchases and placements as provided for under the amended agreements.
At December 31, 2004, $370 million in support payments were deferred under the Jumpstart Programs. Of this amount, approximately $351 million is expected to be recognized during the period 2005 through 2010 as equipment is placed, and approximately $19 million is expected to be recognized over the 12 years after the equipment is placed. We have allocated the support payments to equipment units based on per unit funding amounts. The amount allocated to the requirement to place equipment is the balance remaining after determining the potential cost of moving the equipment after placement. The amount allocated to the potential cost of moving equipment after placement is determined based on an estimate of the units of equipment that could potentially be moved and an estimate of the cost to move that equipment.
Marketing Program Payments
On occasion, we participate in marketing programs outside the scope of recurring arrangements with TCCC. In 2004, 2003, and 2002, we paid TCCC approximately $22 million, $2 million, and $16 million, respectively, for participation in these types of marketing programs.
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Operating Expense Cost Reimbursements
During the first quarter of 2004, we revised our base SMF funding rate with TCCC to include reimbursements related to the staffing costs associated with customer marketing group (CMG) efforts and local media activities. We subsequently terminated our SMF funding agreement with TCCC in the second quarter of 2004 as discussed above. Prior to 2004, TCCC reimbursed us for the staffing costs of CMG efforts in North America and we reimbursed TCCC for the staffing costs of local media efforts. Amounts reimbursed to us by TCCC for CMG staffing costs during 2003 and 2002 were $43 million and $38 million, respectively. Amounts reimbursed to TCCC for local media staffing costs were $18 million in both 2003 and 2002. The 2004 amount reflected in the table above represents staffing costs reimbursed to us by TCCC under a separate agreement.
Other Transactions
In 2004, we recalled the recently launched Dasani water brand in Great Britain because of bromate levels exceeding British regulatory standards. We received $32 million from TCCC during 2004 as reimbursement for recall costs. We recognized this reimbursement as an offset to the related costs of the recall.
In 2003, we sold a hot-fill plant in Truesdale, Missouri to TCCC for approximately $58 million realizing cost recoveries for operating, depreciation, and carrying costs of $8 million as a reduction in cost of sales.
In 2003, we acquired the production and distribution facilities of Chaudfontaine, a Belgian water brand. At the same time, TCCC acquired the Chaudfontaine water source and brand. The total acquisition cost for both TCCC and us was $31 million in cash and assumed debt. Our portion of the acquisition cost was $16 million in cash and assumed debt. We also entered into an agreement with TCCC to equally share the profits or losses from the sale of Chaudfontaine products.
Other transactions with TCCC include the sale of bottle preforms, management fees, office space leases, and purchases of point-of-sale and other advertising items.
Cash Flow And Liquidity Review
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our sources of capital include, but are not limited to, cash flows from operations, the issuance of public or private placement debt, bank borrowings, and the issuance of equity securities. We believe that available short-term and long-term capital resources are sufficient to fund our capital expenditures, benefit plan contributions, working capital requirements, scheduled debt payments, interest payments, income tax obligations, dividends to our shareowners, any contemplated acquisitions, and share repurchases.
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The following table provides a summary of our debt and credit facilities as of December 31, 2004 and 2003 (in millions):
| At December 31, | ||||||
| 2004 |
2003 | |||||
| Amounts available for borrowing: |
||||||
| Amounts available under committed domestic and international credit facilities |
$ | 2,863 | $ | 3,302 | ||
| Amounts available under public debt facilities:(A) |
||||||
| Shelf registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission |
3,221 | 3,221 | ||||
| Euro medium-term note program |
2,135 | 2,135 | ||||
| Canadian medium-term note program |
1,664 | 1,542 | ||||
| Total amounts available under public debit facilities |
7,020 | 6,898 | ||||
| Total amounts available |
$ | 9,883 | $ | 10,200 | ||
| (A) | Amounts available under each of these public debt facilities and the related costs to borrow are subject to market conditions at the time of borrowing. |
At December 31, 2004 and 2003, we had $209 million and $45 million, respectively, of short-term borrowings outstanding under these credit facilities. In August 2004, we established a $2.5 billion revolving credit facility with a syndicate of 24 banks. The facility combined four previously separate credit facilities into a single facility that matures in 2009. The facility serves as a backstop to our various commercial paper programs and for general corporate borrowing purposes. There were no borrowings outstanding under the facility as of December 31, 2004.
We satisfy seasonal working capital needs and other financing requirements with short-term borrowings under our commercial paper programs, bank borrowings, and various lines of credit. At December 31, 2004 and 2003, we had approximately $1.2 billion and $1.0 billion, respectively, outstanding in commercial paper. During 2005, we plan to repay a portion of the outstanding borrowings under our commercial paper programs and short-term credit facilities with operating cash flow and intend to refinance the remaining outstanding borrowings. As shown in the table above, at December 31, 2004 and 2003, we had approximately $2.8 billion and $3.3 billion, respectively, available for borrowing under committed domestic and international credit facilities.
Credit Ratings and Covenants
Our credit ratings are periodically reviewed by rating agencies. Currently, our long-term ratings from Moodys, Standard and Poors, and Fitch are A2, A, and A, respectively. Changes in our operating results, cash flows, or financial position could impact the ratings assigned by the various rating agencies. Should our credit ratings be adjusted downward, we may incur higher costs to borrow, which could have a material impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements.
Our credit facilities and outstanding notes and debentures contain various provisions that, among other things, require us to limit the incurrence of certain liens or encumbrances in excess of defined amounts. Additionally, our credit facilities require us to maintain a defined net debt to total capital ratio. We were in compliance with these requirements as of December 31, 2004 and
44
2003. These requirements currently are not, and it is not anticipated they will become, restrictive to our liquidity or capital resources.
Summary of Cash Activities
2004
Our principal sources of cash consisted of those derived from operations of $1.6 billion, proceeds from the issuance of debt aggregating $558 million, and proceeds from the exercise of employee stock options totaling $181 million. Our primary uses of cash were for debt payments of $1.3 billion and capital asset investments totaling $946 million.
2003
Our principal sources of cash consisted of those derived from operations of $1.8 billion and proceeds from the issuance of debt aggregating $913 million. Our primary uses of cash were for debt payments of $1.7 billion and capital asset investments totaling $1.1 billion.
Operating Activities
2004
Our net cash derived from operating activities decreased $182 million in 2004 to $1.6 billion from $1.8 billion in 2003. This decrease was primarily the result of lower net income and a smaller change in our deferred income taxes.
2003
Our net cash derived from operating activities increased $425 million in 2003 to $1.8 billion from $1.4 billion in 2002. This increase was primarily a result of improved operating results partially offset by increased pension contributions.
Investing Activities
2004
Our capital asset investments decreased $153 million in 2004 to $946 million and represented the principal use of cash for investing activities. Our 2004 capital asset investments included approximately (1) $380 million for operational infrastructure improvements; (2) $330 million for cold drink equipment; (3) $95 million for fleet purchases; and (4) $141 million for IT and other capital investments. Our proceeds from the disposal of capital assets totaled $24 million in 2004 as compared to $95 million in 2003.
2003
Our capital asset investments increased $70 million in 2003 to $1.1 billion and represented the principal use of cash for investing activities. Our proceeds from the disposal of capital assets totaled $95 million in 2003 as compared to $23 million in 2002.
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Financing Activities
2004
Our net cash used in financing activities decreased $144 million in 2004 to $632 million from $776 million in 2003. The following table presents our issuances of debt, payments on debt, and our net issuance of commercial paper for the year ended December 31, 2004 (in millions):
| Issuances of debt |
Maturity Date |
Rate |
Principal Amount |
||||||
| British revolving credit facilities |
Uncommitted | | (A) | $ | 187 | ||||
| French revolving credit facilities |
Uncommitted | | (A) | 173 | |||||
| Other issuances |
| | 26 | ||||||
| Total issuances of debt, excluding commercial paper |
386 | ||||||||
| Net issuances of commercial paper |
172 | ||||||||
| Total issuances of debt |
$ | 558 | |||||||
| Payments on debt |
Maturity Date |
Rate |
Principal Amount |
||||||
| 350 million Canadian dollar note |
March 2004 | 5.65 | % | $ | (266 | ) | |||
| $500 million U.S. dollar note |
April 2004 | | (A) | (500 | ) | ||||
| 60 million Canadian dollar note |
May 2004 | | (A) | (44 | ) | ||||
| $200 million U.S. dollar note |
August 2004 | 6.63 | (200 | ) | |||||
| French revolving credit facilities |
Uncommitted | | (A) | (135 | ) | ||||
| British revolving credit facilities |
Uncommitted | | (A) | (103 | ) | ||||
| Other payments |
| | (47 | ) | |||||
| Total payments on debt |
$ | (1,295 | ) | ||||||
| (A) | These credit facilities and notes carry variable interest rates. |
Refer to Note 7 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information about these financing activities.
2003
Our net cash used in financing activities increased $213 million in 2003 to $776 million from $563 million in 2002. The following table presents our issuances of debt, payments on debt, and our net payments on commercial paper for the year ended December 31, 2003 (in millions):
| Issuances of debt |
Maturity Date |
Rate |
Principal Amount |
||||||
| £175 million British pound sterling note |
May 2006 | 4.13 | % | $ | 276 | ||||
| $250 million under SEC shelf registration statement |
September 2006 | 2.50 | 250 | ||||||
| $250 million under SEC shelf registration statement |
September 2010 | 4.25 | 250 | ||||||
| French revolving credit facilities |
Uncommitted | | (A) | 71 | |||||
| Other issuances |
| | 66 | ||||||
| Total issuances of debt |
$ | 913 | |||||||
| Payments on debt |
Maturity Date |
Rate |
Principal Amount |
||||||
| French franc notes |
January 2003 | 5.00 | % | $ | (27 | ) | |||
| Eurobonds |
February 2003 | 5.00 | (160 | ) | |||||
| 100 million Canadian dollar note |
March 2003 | 5.30 | (65 | ) | |||||
| £175 million British pound sterling note |
May 2003 | 6.50 | (276 | ) | |||||