India Coca‑Cola bottler SLMG says Middle East war risks pushing up prices

Group 1 - SLMG Beverages, Coca-Cola's largest bottler in India, may increase prices due to rising packaging costs linked to the Middle East war [1][2] - The war is causing costs for key packaging materials, and some manufacturers have already raised prices [2] - SLMG has not raised prices portfolio-wide in the past 7–8 years, indicating limited room for price increases in the competitive soda market [3] Group 2 - SLMG plans to invest between 10 billion rupees ($106.58 million) and 12 billion rupees in each of four new plants over five years to tap into the growing soft drink market [4] - The non-alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages market in India is projected to double to approximately $40 billion by 2030 [4] - SLMG's sales increased by 49% to 67.73 billion rupees in fiscal year 2025, with net profit rising 76% to 2.06 billion rupees [5] Group 3 - SLMG is targeting net revenue of 100 billion rupees in 2026–27, focusing on expansion in lower-income states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh [5]