Coca-Cola Europacific Partners invests in France production

The new line will be used to produce still drinks such as iced teas, or fruit and sports drinks, according to a statement from the group. It is expected to become operational by the end of 2026.

CCEP’s investment will also go towards a new syrup plant and upgrading equipment at the Dunkirk site relating to its logistics setup energy hub.

Commenting on the news, François Gay-Bellile, president of CCEP France, said: “The announcement of this investment illustrates our capacity for innovation, our industrial excellence and our local roots.

“This new production line for still drinks strengthens our ability to offer drinks that are ever more diverse and adapted to consumer expectations.”

CCEP France’s Dunkirk location is currently the only one of its five French sites equipped with technology for manufacturing still drinks.

The new line will be the third dedicated to still beverages at the Dunkirk location, including Fuze Tea iced tea, Tropico juices and Powerade, and will support “the site’s production capacity and enabling it to offer a wide choice of drinks to consumers”, CCEP’s statement read.

The Dunkirk site has been operating for 35 years and employs 470 people. This headcount is expected to rise to nearly 520 once the ninth line is completed, CCEP said.

The plant handles a broad mix of formats, including glass bottles (25cl and 75cl), PET bottles (40cl to 1.5L) and aluminium cans (20cl and 33cl).

Earlier this year, CCEP France unveiled a range of new equipment at its Grigny bottling facility, tied to a €146m investment that had been made at the site.

Part of the cash injection went towards the creation of a new production line that was expected to be able to generate 60,000 returnable glass bottles (RGB) per hour.

At the start of this year, CCEP revealed plans to invest around €150m ($156.2m) in its operations in Germany.

Most of the funding was to be injected into the group’s facility in Halle, eastern Germany.

Of the €150m, nearly €45m was to be invested in the installation of a can-filling line in Halle to cater to the higher demand for canned beverages.