Kofola ČeskoSlovensko has published its preliminary financial results for 2024, confirming not only excellent sales in the individual countries where the company operates but also record sales for the entire Kofola Group. The group saw a 30% increase in turnover, surpassing the CZK 11 billion mark. Kofola plans to make significant investments this year.
The largest division of the Czech family business from Krnov, the beverage division in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, saw a 6% increase in sales in the final quarter of 2024 compared to the previous year. “The successful Christmas season and growing consumer interest in on-the-go formats contributed significantly to this growth,” says Daniel Buryš, CEO of Kofola in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The main drivers of sales in the final quarter were the Jupí, Kofola, and Royal Crown Cola brands.
Last year, the Kofola Group expanded to include the Pivovary CZ Group, which operates as an independently managed division. The Zubr, Holba, and Litovel brands performed well both on the domestic market and in exports. “We were able to offset rising costs through increased sales. Gross sales in the final quarter were 7.5% higher than in the previous year. Sales of canned beer in the Czech Republic rose by 25%, while bottled beer grew by 12.5%. However, the decline in draught beer sales reflects the general downturn in beer consumption in the Czech Republic, along with the challenges of the difficult autumn,” explains René Musila, CEO of the Pivovary CZ Group.
The floods of last year significantly affected the Kofola Group’s UGO Salaterie brand. Due to severe flooding in the Krnov region, UGO experienced a five-week halt in production and deliveries in the PET division (including cascaded juices, smoothies, lemonades, and kombuchas) and QSRs (Quick Service Restaurants, such as UGO Salaterias and Freshbars). Raw material costs also posed challenges, with the prices of oranges and apples rising due to environmental disasters. Despite these difficulties, the PET division achieved an 18% increase in turnover compared to the previous year.
For 2025, the Group’s management plans to make substantial investments in business development, while also addressing the impact of the Slovak sugar tax and the challenge of implementing the Czech PET bottle and can deposit system. Martin Pisklák, CFO of Kofola, is confident that the company will continue to grow in 2025 despite these challenges. “It will be a year of significant investment—we aim to improve the efficiency of our production facilities, logistics routes, and trading opportunities,” concludes Martin Pisklák.
The Czech cult drink Kofola is a carbonated soft drink of the cola variety, developed in communist Czechoslovakia in 1960 as an alternative to the Western drinks Coca-Cola and Pepsi, which were unavailable at the time. Kofola contains 14 different herbs and fruits, is flavoured with liquorice, and is produced in the Czech town of Krnov (Moravskoslezský kraj).
Kofola
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