Coca-Cola Canada Bottling Limited plans to invest $70 million in a cutting-edge 60,000-square-foot warehouse in northeast Calgary. The warehouse, to be constructed alongside the company's distribution center and manufacturing facility on 23 Street NE, will accommodate 19,000 pallets of beverages, according to a news release.
Presently, the company depends on third-party warehouses. However, with this new venture, Coke Canada expects to reduce its annual CO2 emissions by 200 tonnes, thanks to minimized product transportation within the local market.
Todd Parsons, CEO of Coke Canada Bottling, expressed their commitment to invest in Calgary for long-term growth, delivering value to customers, consumers, and communities while focusing on sustainability. The Calgary team will play a crucial role in meeting and surpassing customer needs in Western Canada, as the company implements global best practices and increases self-sufficiency in local operations.
The decision to invest follows a report from the Conference Board of Canada and the Canadian Beverage Association, highlighting a rise in consumer spending on non-alcoholic drinks from 2010 to 2019, reaching $11.9 billion due to population growth.
With this investment, all local storage will be consolidated within Calgary's facilities, featuring an automated storage and retrieval system, along with expanded door dock capacity for the "Red Fleet."
This development also comes after a strike that occurred on March 15, 2021, at the northeast plant, involving approximately 270 members of the Teamsters Canada union Local 987. However, a resolution was reached between Coca-Cola and the union two weeks later.