Coca Cola European Partners

[YeeWo]

Reading my Evening Standard the other night I noticed CCEP amongst the "new issues" in the financial pages. I already hold Coca Cola Hellenic bottling Co. so was intrigued. Seemingly Euronext may be restricted due to the political situation UK/EU therefore the decision has been made, presumably in Atlanta(?), to move CCEP to the main London Market. I haven't had a good read of the numbers yet, however things to consider: -
+ Positives +
- CCEP is a Big business, FTSE100 size. It is therefore likely that Index Tracker buying alone should lift the SP.
- Regular Quarterly Dividends
- Endless scope for cost savings due consolidation of Coke system bottlers.
- Negatives -
- You're effectively buying the less sexy (capital intensive) elements of the Coke system. If you believe in Coca Cola why not just buy KO on NYSE?
- The business is subject to substantial control of the Coca Cola Co. and this may override the interests of smaller shareholders.

I've held CCH.L since 09 Jun 17 (XIRR of 7.69% including dividends). CCEP.L has the more economically vibrant territories in Western Europe which may not have the same difficulties as operating in Russia, Nigeria etc. It may perhaps be contemplated in Atlanta to engineer a merger between CCH & CCEP!? Anybody interested in Coke, I'd really recommend reading "Inside Coca Cola - A CEO's Life story of Building the World's Most Popular Brand" by Neville Isdell with David Beasley. The press release from CCEP reproduced below: -

COCA-COLA EUROPEAN PARTNERS
LISTS ON THE MAIN MARKET OF LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE
LONDON, 28 March 2019:

Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) is the world's largest Coca-Cola bottler by revenue, generating sales last year of €11.5 billion and operating profit of €1.6 billion1, operating across 13 countries in Western Europe.

Today, at 08:00 GMT, the ordinary shares (the "Shares") in CCEP were admitted to trading on the Main Market of London Stock Exchange. As previously announced, the delisting of the Shares from Euronext London will occur from 29 March 2019 to ensure continuous admission to the Official List of the United Kingdom Listing Authority ("UKLA").

This does not change the Company's category of listing, which remains a standard listing under Chapter 14 of the UKLA's Listing Rules, and does not impact the listing of the Shares on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE"), Euronext Amsterdam or the Spanish stock exchanges (Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia). Investors will continue to be able to trade the Shares on all markets under the symbol CCEP, with the Shares being quoted and traded in Euro on London Stock Exchange, Euronext Amsterdam and the continuous market of the Spanish stock exchanges, and in USD on the NYSE.

Damian Gammell, CEO at CCEP, said:

"The formation of CCEP was always about a bigger and bolder vision beyond the merger. Three years on, we are building a sustainable company on three pillars: great beverages, great service and great people. We feel this is the perfect time to move our UK listing to London Stock Exchange. We have a solid track record and we operate in the large and growing Western European non-alcoholic ready to drink market, where we have a leading position with the world's best brands."

Nik Jhangiani, CFO at CCEP, said:

"We believe we have an attractive and exciting investment story, as we continue to expand our total beverage portfolio while strengthening core capabilities that will drive sustainable success. By joining Europe's leading stock exchange, we seek to increase visibility of our story alongside improving market access for investors, thereby enhancing liquidity."

Nikhil Rathi, CEO, London Stock Exchange plc & Director of International Development, LSEG2 , said:

"We are delighted to welcome Coca-Cola European Partners, the world's largest Coca-Cola bottler, to London Stock Exchange today. CCEP's decision to list on our Main Market to enhance liquidity and investor access further underlines our attraction as a global listing venue, offering companies access to the deepest pool of international investor capital."

Notes:

The ISIN code for the Shares is GB00BDCPN049.