According to Paweł Majtkowski, eToro analyst, a bottle of Coca-Cola with a volume of 1.5 liters, costs around PLN 7 in Poland, while in Germany or Spain you can buy it for around PLN 5.

"Since the beginning of the year, a sugar tax has been in force in Poland, which caused the prices of carbonated beverages to increase by 36 percent, and this caused a drop in sales by 20 percent y/y (CMR data for the first half of 2021) – and this despite the heatwave, which came to Poland in June. Importantly, the sugar tax also covers beverages sweetened with sweeteners, so it is actually a carbonated drink tax, not strictly the sugar tax that exists in other countries," the analyst said.

In Poland, sales of drinks are falling, but in the world, it is rebounding after the decline caused by the pandemic. Coca-Cola and its eternal rival Pepsi presented great global results for the second quarter. Coca-Cola posted second-quarter revenues of $10.1 billion, an increase of 42 percent, beating analysts' expectations by $800 million. EPS (earnings per share) increased by 48 percent to $0.61 and the company's organic revenue grew 38 percent. Coca-Cola's stock price rise has been slower than the S & P500 index this year, but a good performance could attract attention again investors. Progressive lifestyle changes, as well as the pandemic, have contributed to the decline in the company's revenues in recent years. In response, it started a restructuring process aimed at focusing on proven drinks such as Coca-Cola and healthier alternatives such as water, tea, and coffee. The company strongly promotes the Coca-Cola Zero Sugar drink without sugar all over the world, including Poland.

PepsiCo also exceeded analysts' expectations. The company's revenues in the second quarter increased by 20.5 percent y/y to $19.22 billion. The EPS was $1.72, which is 19 cents above expectations.

(WBJ)