Operation shut down: Coca-Cola to cease operations in 5 production and logistics sites in Germany

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) has slowly started the process to cease operations in five production and logistics sites in Germany.

CCEP, the company that handles Coca-Cola’s bottling, distribution and selling activities in Germany announced that the closure of the five plants will take place in Neumünster, Bielefeld, Berlin-Hohenschönhausen, Memmingen and Cologne.

Currently, CCEP operates 14 production facilities in Germany and 27 locations in total, employing around 6,500 people.

The Cologne facility, the smallest one in West Germany which employs approximately 600 people, will be ceasing production on 31st March 2025.

Coca-Cola attributed cost cutting as the reason behind the closures, in light of increasing market competition. Furthermore, it also cited the need to adapt to evolving logistics in the beverage sector.

With this change in mind, the company aims to use the German logistics and production capacity more efficiently.

An additional 505 jobs are expected to be terminated, 207 people will be relocated to other facilities while 78 new jobs are estimated to be added.

Speaking to local media Spiegel, CCEP spokesperson Tilman Rothhammer said that the company is aware that these planned changes “are very painful for the employees affected.”

“It is therefore all the more important for us to implement all intended changes in a socially responsible and transparent manner,” he added.