UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM
CURRENT REPORT
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Item 2.05 Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities.
On August 28, 2020, The Coca-Cola Company (the “Company”) announced strategic steps to reorganize its business for future growth. The Company will create new operating units focused on regional and local execution that will work closely with five marketing category leadership teams that span the globe to rapidly scale ideas. The structure will be supported by the Company’s newly created Platform Services organization, which will provide global services and enhanced expertise across a range of critical capabilities.
The Company’s structural changes will result in the reallocation of people and resources, which will include voluntary and involuntary reductions in employees. The first stage of reductions will be carried out through a voluntary separation program that will give eligible employees the option of taking a separation package that will include severance benefits consisting of cash, equity and health and welfare coverage. The voluntary program will first be offered to approximately 4,000 employees in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico who have a most-recent hire date on or before September 1, 2017. A similar program will be offered in many countries internationally. The voluntary program is expected to reduce the number of involuntary separations.
The Company expects to record approximately $350 million to $550 million in severance, stock compensation and employee benefits related expenses as a result of these actions. The Company expects that these expenses will primarily be incurred beginning in the third quarter of 2020 and continuing through the first quarter of 2021. These amounts are estimates. Actual amounts may vary based on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, the number of employees who are impacted through both the voluntary and involuntary workforce reductions.
Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
As discussed above, the Company will create nine new operating units in order to help streamline the organization by replacing current business units and groups. The Company’s current model includes 17 business units that sit under four geographical segments, plus Global Ventures and the Bottling Investments Group. Moving forward, the operational side of the business will consist of nine operating units that will sit under our four geographical segments, along with Global Ventures and the Bottling Investments Group. Upon completion of these structural changes, Manuel Arroyo will continue in his role as Chief Marketing Officer but will no longer serve as President, Asia Pacific Group.
Item 8.01. Other Events.
The Company’s August 28, 2020 press release announcing the strategic steps the Company is taking to reorganize the business is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits
| (d) | Exhibits |
| 99.1 | Press Release of The Coca-Cola Company, dated August 28, 2020. |
Forward-Looking Statements
This Current Report on Form 8-K may contain statements, estimates or projections that constitute “forward-looking statements” as defined under U.S. federal securities laws. Generally, the words “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “project,” “will” and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, which generally are not historical in nature. Forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause The Coca-Cola Company’s actual results to differ materially from its historical experience and our present expectations or projections. These risks include, but are not limited to, the negative impacts of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on our business; obesity and other health-related concerns; evolving consumer product and shopping preferences; increased competition; water scarcity and poor quality; increased demand for food products and decreased agricultural productivity; product safety and quality concerns; perceived negative health consequences of certain ingredients, such as non-nutritive sweeteners and biotechnology-derived substances, and of other substances present in our beverage products or packaging materials; an inability to be successful in our innovation activities; an inability to protect our information systems against service interruption, misappropriation of data or breaches of security; failure to comply with personal data protection and privacy laws; failure to digitize the Coca-Cola system; changes in the retail landscape or the loss of key retail or foodservice customers; an inability to expand operations in emerging and developing markets; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; interest rate increases; an inability to maintain good relationships with our bottling partners; a deterioration in our bottling partners’ financial condition; increases in income tax rates, changes in income tax laws or unfavorable resolution of tax matters; increased or new indirect taxes in the United States and throughout the world; an inability to successfully manage the possible negative consequences of our productivity initiatives; an inability to attract or retain a highly skilled and diverse workforce; increased cost, disruption of supply or shortage of energy or fuel; increased cost, disruption of supply or shortage of ingredients, other raw materials, packaging materials, aluminum cans and other containers; increasing concerns about the environmental impact of plastic bottles and other plastic packaging materials; changes in laws and regulations relating to beverage containers and packaging; significant additional labeling or warning requirements or limitations on the marketing or sale of our products; unfavorable general economic conditions in the United States; unfavorable economic and political conditions in international markets; litigation or legal proceedings; conducting business in markets with high-risk legal compliance environments; failure by our third-party service providers and business partners to satisfactorily fulfill their commitments and responsibilities; failure to adequately protect, or disputes relating to, trademarks, formulae and other intellectual property rights; adverse weather conditions; climate change and legal or regulatory responses thereto; damage to our brand image, corporate reputation and social license to operate from negative publicity, whether or not warranted, concerning product safety or quality, workplace and human rights, obesity or other issues; changes in, or failure to comply with, the laws and regulations applicable to our products or our business operations; changes in accounting standards; an inability to achieve our overall long-term growth objectives; deterioration of global credit market conditions; default by or failure of one or more of our counterparty financial institutions; an inability to renew collective bargaining agreements on satisfactory terms, or we or our bottling partners experience strikes, work stoppages or labor unrest; future impairment charges; multi-employer pension plan withdrawal liabilities in the future; an inability to successfully integrate and manage our company-owned or -controlled bottling operations or other acquired businesses or brands; an inability to successfully manage our refranchising activities; failure to realize a significant portion of the anticipated benefits of our strategic relationship with Monster Beverage Corporation; global or regional catastrophic events; and other risks discussed in our filings with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and our subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, which filings are available from the SEC. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only at the date they are made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| THE COCA-COLA COMPANY (REGISTRANT) | |||
| Date: | August 28, 2020 | By: | /s/ John Murphy |
| John Murphy Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | |||
