Coca-Cola remains in Mörfelden-Walldorf: closures announced in Germany

Coca-Cola remains in Mörfelden-Walldorf: closures announced in Germany

Coca-Cola has announced that five of its production and logistics centers in Germany will be closed. This decision affects several cities, including Cologne, Neumünster, Berlin-Hohenschönhausen, Bielefeld and Memmingen. The closures will result in the elimination of approximately 505 jobs, while 207 positions will be relocated and 78 new jobs will be created. However, the location in Mörfelden-Walldorf remains unaffected by these measures.

The logistics building in Mörfelden-Walldorf was opened in 2022 and offers space for around 300,000 beverage crates, which corresponds to around 3.5 million bottles. Coca-Cola has decided not to close this only location in Hesse. The decision to close was made by Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), which is responsible for bottling and distributing the drinks in Germany.

The aim of these restructuring measures is to better adapt to the challenges in the highly competitive market. Managing director Tilmann Rothhammer emphasized the importance of implementing these changes in a “socially responsible and transparent” manner, as they have painful effects on the affected employees.

The planned closures are also a reaction to the changes in beverage logistics. More and more wholesalers and smaller customers are tending to no longer order directly from Coca-Cola, but rather via central warehouses. This has led to a decline in warehouse outbound volumes at many logistics locations, which is why Coca-Cola is adjusting its strategy.

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners operates 27 locations throughout Germany, including 14 production plants, and employs around 6,500 people. Despite the challenges in the beverage market, the location in Mörfelden-Walldorf remains stable due to its strategic importance and the high daily deliveries to the Rhine-Main region. Up to 20,000 boxes of drinks are distributed there every day, which underlines the importance of this facility.

For more information on this topic, see the report on www.fr.de.