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NILAI, Malaysia (AP) -- Coca-Cola said Tuesday it will build a new bottling plant in Malaysia and invest 1 billion ringgit ($302 million) over the next five years to boost growth in the Southeast Asian market.
The investment comes as the world's largest soft drink maker gets ready to end its franchise with a local bottler after sales remained stagnant over the years.
Coca-Cola Co. is expected to let its decades-long contract with a unit of Singapore's Fraser and Neave expire in September 2011. The contract, which covers mainly the bottling and distribution of Coca-Cola and Sprite brands, was worth 421 million ringgit ($127 million) a year.
Glenn Jordan, president of the company's Pacific Group, said in an interview with The Associated Press that a third of the 1 billion ringgit will be invested in an eco-friendly plant on a 30 acre (12 hectare) site in the southern state of Negeri Sembilan.
The rest will be plowed into sales and merchandising assets, product innovation and marketing to beef up the company's presence in Malaysia, where the annual per capita consumption of Coca-Cola is well below that of many countries in the region, he said.
The plant is expected to be operational by mid-2011, he said.
"This investment will enable us to support our core brands, Coca-Cola and Sprite, enhance our competitive edge and increase our geographic coverage," he said.
Jordan said Malaysian investors have 15 percent stake in the new bottling facility, with the Armed Forces Fund Board holding a 10 percent stake and private firm AAD Equity, led by former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, 5 percent.
The investment will directly create 600 to 800 new jobs at the bottling plant, and is expected to create between 6,000 and 8,000 jobs with local suppliers, he said.
Jordan said Coca-Cola's move to end its franchise with Fraser and Neave was an "amicable separation" as both companies have different growth strategies.
He said growth in Malaysia's nonalcoholic beverage market has been relatively slow at between 4 and 6 percent over the last five years, compared to double-digit growth in some other regional markets. He attributed this to a lack of aggressive competition and insufficient diversity in the product range.
"We are here to revolutionize the way we sell our products. We see a lot of opportunities here," Jordan said. He declined to give growth targets but said the company aims to achieve "healthy growth" and be more competitive in Malaysia.
At the groundbreaking ceremony of the plant earlier, Prime Minister Najib Razak welcomed Coca-Cola's long-term commitment to Malaysia.
"I take it as a strong signal that the world's most recognized brand is expanding in this important market and enhancing its contribution to the Malaysian market," he said.
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Sarawak Oil Palm Bhd
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It sells nearly 7,000 WiMAX-enabled handsets in 3 days
The unwelcome incident has happened last Friday in Sendai, Japan. Sendai was my 'hometown' for almost 4 years, i was really shocked and sad when i heard about this incident. I haven't received any information about my host family there. When since the first there i step in Sendai soil, the local authority also explained about the possibility of Mega earthquake 大地震, but luckily didn't happen. Hope they are doing fine. Really worry now. May god bless them all and wishing for the best.
Anyway, back to financial market, Nikkei Future slides 5%, but surprisingly DJ was up by 0.5%. Asian market is expected to open lower, and its makes me kinda nervous, hoping it the panic selling wont last long. Here's my performance as of 11 Mar, and expects my performance to performe lower next week. :P
Investors will be watching the Nikkei stock market in Japan when it re-opens on Monday, after it closed down 1.7% after Friday's earthquake and tsunami.
The Bank of Japan will also meet to discuss how to ensure market stability.
Traders will be worried the Nikkei may fall on fears that growth in the world's third-largest economy may slow.
The quake hit just before the exchange closed, so the impact of the disaster was not fully factored in, although Nikkei stock futures did then fall 5%.
There will also be a focus on how other Asian markets react after the devastating events in the north-east of Japan.
The devastation caused by the earthquake and tsunami may lead to an emergency budget
"Stocks will probably fall on Monday, especially of those companies that have factories in the affected areas, but on the whole the sell-off will likely be short-lived," said Mitsuhsige Akino, a fund manager at Ichiyoshi Investment Management.
Analysts cite the example of the stability of the stock markets in Australia and New Zealand after the recent natural disasters there.
"In the medium term, the impact on markets is not likely to be that great," said Arjuna Mahendaran of HSBC Private Bank.
The Bank of Japan will hold a one-day policy meeting on Monday, with one of its priorities being to ensure commercial banks in earthquake-struck regions do not run out of cash in case depositors rush to withdraw money.
The ruling and opposition parties are also reported to have agreed for further emergency financial measures.
"We still don't know the full scale of the damage, but considering what happened after the earthquake in Kobe [in 1995], this will certainly lead the government to compile an emergency budget," said Yasuo Yamamoto, senior economist at Mizuho Research Institute in Tokyo.
There are concerns over the cost of rebuilding, and the impact it will have on Japan's public finances.
Tax issue?Analysts say the reconstruction expense will have a heavy impact on the government's debt and budget deficit.
Japan already has the highest level of national debt in the industrialised world.
"As the deficit grows, the government may be forced into raising taxes to make up for that," said Mr Mahenderan.
"A raise in taxes could push the economy into recession," he added.
However, despite these concerns, many analysts predict that the rebuilding effort may well help boost economic growth.
"The earthquake will most likely lead to stronger growth in 2011, rather than weaker," said Takuji Okubo of Societe Generale.