According to The Economic Times, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB), the Indian bottling company of Coca-Cola, has begun cutting staff as part of a larger initiative to increase profits and streamline operations. Across departments, about 300 positions are being eliminated. The action was taken months after the company reorganised its operations and hired a new CEO.

Approximately 4–6% of the workforce is impacted by the downsizing. According to the report, the changes affect a number of areas, including plant-level operations, sales, supply chain, and distribution. HCCB runs 15 facilities in India and employs around 5,000 people. Brands including Coca-Cola, Thums Up, Sprite, Minute Maid, and Kinley are bottled and distributed by these plants.

The Layoffs will not Affect Day-To-Day Operations: HCCB

According to the report, the corporation stated that the labour decrease was "small in scale" and would not have an impact on daily operations. It also stated that the goal of these recurring evaluations is to maintain competitiveness, efficiency, and adaptability in a market that is changing quickly. The reorganisation comes after a change in leadership earlier this year.

Hemant Rupani, a former employee of Mondelez International, was named HCCB's new CEO in July. Juan Pablo Rodriguez was replaced by him. With a monopoly on the market for carbonated soft drinks, Coca-Cola is still the biggest beverage company in India. In FY25, HCCB's financial performance declined. According to regulatory records obtained through the business intelligence portal Tofler, the company recorded a 73% drop in net profit to INR 756.64 crore, while operating revenue dropped 9% to INR 12,751.29 crore.

Coca Cola’s Bottling Partners on Expansion Spree

Coca-Cola's bottling partners are investing more money in the Indian market while HCCB reorganises. According to news agency PTI, three significant bottlers, SLMG Beverages, HCCB, and Kandhari Group, have announced intentions to invest INR 25,760 crore in infrastructure related to food manufacturing and beverages. For new and expansion projects in nine states—Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Jammu—the firms have inked memorandums of understanding with the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.

As part of the strategy, SLMG Beverages, the biggest Coca-Cola bottler in India, will invest INR 8,000 crore. About 30,000 direct jobs and up to 300,000 indirect employment possibilities are anticipated to be created by the proposed projects. India is currently the fifth-largest market for Coca-Cola worldwide, and in spite of short-term difficulties, the business keeps growing its presence through alliances and long-term capacity additions.