COCA-COLA PUTS UP ITS PRICES

The Mozambican branch of the Coca-Cola company has just put up its prices for the second time in just over a year.There was no public announcement, but the Coca-Cola director of public relations and communication, Francisco Ferrao, confirmed to the independent newssheet “Mediafax”, that the prices of some of his company’s products rose as of 1 November. 

Thus a pack of six two litre plastic bottles of Coke and of the other soft drinks produced by the company has risen in price by 7.8 per cent, from 320 to 345 meticais (4.2 to 4.5 US dollars). The retail price for a two litre bottle is now 75 rather than 65 meticais, a 15 per cent rise. (However, many retailers chose to ignore the recommended retails price, and were already selling the two litre bottles for 70 meticais).The price of the packs of 24 330 millilitre cans of coke rose from 520 to 600 meticais (15.4 per cent). The retail price for an individual can goes up from 25 to 30 meticais (a 20 per cent rise).The price for glass bottles of coke remains unchanged. Thus the price of a 300 millitre bottle stays at 15 meticais, while the slightly larger, 350 millilitre bottle, still costs 20 meticais.In the last price increase, in October 2015, it was the glass bottles of soft drink that rose in price, while the cans and the two litre plastic bottles remained untouched. The new price rise contradicts a promise given by Coca-Cola two months ago that no further price increases were being planned. Ferrao justified the rise by the depreciation of the metical against the US dollar and the South African rand, which is driving up the price of the imported materials the company uses. He claimed that, even with the increases, the prices of the drinks are below what the company would regard as ideal.Asked why there had been no change in the price of the drinks sold in glass bottles, Ferrao said that, because the glass bottles are returnable, they are cheaper than cans or plastic.