Coca-Cola Shares Dip as KKR Withdraws from $1.3B Costa Coffee Deal
Coca-Cola's stock (KO) declined following reports that private equity firm KKR (KKR) abandoned plans to acquire its Costa Coffee chain for $1.3 billion. The deal's collapse marks a setback for Coca-Cola's expansion into the coffee sector, which it entered with the £3.9 billion purchase of Costa in 2019.
CEO James Quincey acknowledged Costa's underperformance, stating the chain has 'not quite delivered' on financial expectations. The withdrawal leaves other suitors, including TDR, Bain Capital, and China's Centurium Capital, to potentially bid for the struggling coffee business.