HCCB, Coca-Cola India’s bottling arm, to lay off 300 employees; move to streamline operations

Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB), the bottling arm of Coca-Cola India, is set to lay off around 300 staffers as part of a plan to improve profitability and streamline operations.The company has approximately 5,000 employees and 15 manufacturing units, bottles and distributes brands such as Coca-Cola, Thums Up, Sprite, Minute Maid juices and Kinley water.A company spokesperson told ET, “Staying in sync with evolving business needs requires us to re-evaluate capabilities, structures, and take corrective actions where necessary.” Terming the downsizing as “minor in scale and non-disruptive to operations,” the spokesperson added, “We periodically assess business operations to stay competitive, efficient and agile.” The reduction affects roughly 4–6% of HCCB’s workforce across functions including sales, supply chain, distribution and bottling operations at its plants, as reported by the financial daily.Hemant Rupani, formerly with Mondelez International, recently took over as HCCB’s chief executive officer, succeeding Juan Pablo Rodriguez.HCCB reported a sharp 73% decline in net profit to Rs 756.64 crore in FY25, with revenue from operations falling 9% to Rs 12,751.29 crore, according to regulatory filings.The company attributed the decline partly to the higher base in FY24, when it sold bottling operations in Rajasthan, Bihar, the north-east and parts of West Bengal.These operations were transferred to three of its largest bottlers - Moon Beverages, Kandhari Global Beverages and SLMG Beverages.Under this model, Coca-Cola sells concentrate to its bottlers, who then produce and distribute the beverages.HCCB remains India’s largest beverage company with a leadership position in the soft drinks segment. Muted demand due to unseasonal and heavy rains between March and September also affected sales. April to June is usually the peak quarter in India’s nearly Rs 60,000-crore soft drinks market.