Coca-Cola India Bottler HCCB to Lay Off 300 Employees Amid Profit Slump.
Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB), the bottling arm of Coca-Cola India, is set to lay off around 300 employees as part of efforts to improve profitability and streamline operations under new leadership, sources said. The reduction affects roughly 4–6% of the company’s 5,000-strong workforce and was communicated internally over the past fortnight.
HCCB operates 15 manufacturing facilities across India, bottling and distributing popular brands such as Coca-Cola, Thums Up, Sprite, Minute Maid, and Kinley water. The job cuts will span sales, supply chain, distribution, and bottling operations.
A company spokesperson told the Economic Times: “Staying in sync with evolving business needs requires us to re-evaluate capabilities, structures, and take corrective actions where necessary. This downsizing is minor in scale and non-disruptive to operations. We periodically assess business operations to remain competitive, efficient, and agile.”
The restructuring comes after HCCB reported a sharp 73% drop in net profit to Rs 756.64 crore in FY25, while revenue fell 9% to Rs 12,751.29 crore. The decline was partly due to a higher base in FY24, when the company sold bottling operations in Rajasthan, Bihar, the northeast, and parts of West Bengal to franchise partners including Moon Beverages, Kandhari Global Beverages, and SLMG Beverages. Coca-Cola continues to supply concentrate to these bottlers, who manufacture and distribute the beverages.
Sales were also hit by unseasonal heavy rainfall during the peak summer months of March to September, which typically account for the single largest quarter in India’s nearly Rs 60,000-crore soft drinks market.
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