Coca-Cola Enterprises North American sales down 4%, surprise, surprise, surprise

It is interesting that just last month we sent a letter to the CEO and Board of Directors of Coca-Cola Enterprises along with the preceding correspondence with the parent company Coca-Cola. Of course they ignored it, not even having the courtesy of acknowledging receipt.

Of course their North American sales are performing below expectations. When thousands of a company's top customers get so mad that they quit buying their products, their sales come in below expectations.

What this says is that they have take the decades of strong support from us for granted and we are no longer even a blip on their radar screen. They place their politically correct agenda higher on their priority list than their former loyal customer base.

But in the end, you hold the ACE up the sleeve. Its your money and they want it! Make them pay your price for your money - Get Out Of Politics!

The Coca-Cola Company Should Get Out of Politics Petition

The following link provides an easy to use form to help spread the word, pass this on to five of your friends and family.

Spread the word, recommend this page to a friend

Just remember the latest example of the actions of the chamber types like the Coke companies. The removal of a Flag from a Memorial in Augusta. The Augusta Chamber has admitted that they wanted the Flag removed, Coke is a member of the Augusta Chamber of Commerce.

Coca-Cola Enterprises' profit falls

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ATLANTA -- Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. said Thursday its profit fell 20 percent in the third quarter, as volume was hurt by bad weather, a sluggish retail environment and a turn away from regular soft drinks.

Coca-Cola Enterprises, the largest bottler of Coca-Cola Co. drinks, reported net income of $207 million, or 44 cents a share, below the prior year's $259 million, or 56 cents a share. The previous year's results included a tax gain of a penny a share.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call had forecast, on average, third-quarter earnings of 38 cents a share for the Atlanta-based company.

Net operating revenue dropped 1.4 percent to $4.67 billion from $4.73 billion.

Third-quarter case volume fell 6 percent. North American volume fell 4 percent, in line with September estimates of mid-single percentage digit declines. Coca-Cola Enterprises said regular soft drinks lost ground in the region, as sales of diet drinks, Powerade and water grew.

European volume slid 12 percent, dampened by unseasonable summer weather.

For the full year, Coca-Cola Enterprises continues to expect earnings of $1.21 to $1.25 a share. Excluding a charge related to revisions of its concentrate-price agreement with Coca-Cola, the company still anticipates a profit of $1.26 to $1.30 a share.

First Call's projection for the year is earnings of $1.26 a share, excluding items. That would be down from the $1.46 a share earned for 2003.

For the first nine months of the year, net income declined to $514 million, or $1.09 a share, from the prior year's $545 million, or $1.19 a share.

Net operating revenue rose 6 percent to $13.8 billion from $13 billion.

Nine-month case bottle and can volume decreased about 2.5 percent.

Shares of Coca-Cola Enterprises closed at $20.67, up $1.78, or 9.4 percent, on the New York Stock Exchange.