Description of Activities

Description: The Commission resolved to approve without conditions the acquisition by Coca-Cola HBC AG (“CCHBC AG”) and Coca-Cola HBC Holdings B.V. (“CCHBC BV”), a wholly owned subsidiary of CCHBC AG (collectively, “CCHBC”), of the issued share capital of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa Proprietary Limited (“CCBA”). Post-merger, CCHBC will acquire sole control over CCBA. 

Acquiring group: The first primary acquiring undertaking is CCHBC AG, which has its principal place of business at Turmstrasse 26, 6312 Steinhausen, Switzerland. The second primary acquiring undertaking is CCHBC BV, which has its principal place of business at Radarweg 60, 1043 NT, Amsterdam, Netherlands. The acquiring group, CCHBC, is an authorised bottler of the Coca-Cola Company (“TCCC”) that prepares, packages, distributes, and sells beverages bearing TCCC brands (“TCCC branded beverages”) and other beverages in 29 countries in Europe, Eurasia, and Africa. CCHBC also partners with other businesses such as Monster Energy, Brown Forman, and Edrington and is active in the bottling and distribution of a wide variety of drinks, including sparkling soft drinks, water, energy and sports drinks, juice, snacks, and premium spirits, coffee, and ready-to-drink tea. The CCHBC Group does not have any activities in Namibia. 

Target undertaking: The primary target undertaking is CCBA, which has its principal place of business at 2nd Floor, Wanderers Building, The Campus, 57 Sloane Street, Bryanston, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa, 2021. CCBA is an investment holding company with interests primarily in the carbonated and non-carbonated soft drink industry. In particular, CCBA holds controlling interests in subsidiaries authorised to prepare, package, distribute, and sell TCCC-branded beverages (and other authorised branded beverages such as Monster) in specific regions across the African continent. In Namibia, CCBA indirectly controls Coca-Cola Namibia Bottling Company (Proprietary) Limited (“CCNBC”), which, in turn, controls Northern Mineral Waters. CCNBC currently has bottling plants and depots in Namibia. 

Relevant market: Defined the relevant market as the supply of non-alcoholic ready-to-drink (“NARTD”) beverages in Namibia.

Merger Determination

The Commission found the proposed transaction unlikely to result in the prevention or substantial lessening of competition or result in any undertaking to acquire or strengthen a dominant position in the market and did not raise any public interest concerns.

Furthermore, as per section 50 of the Act, these approvals do not relieve parties from complying with any other mandatory statutory approvals that any of the parties to the merger must comply with under Namibian laws. 

Merger Determination No.1 of 2026__