CCEP Reports Interim Results for the Third-Quarter Ended 28 September 2018

LONDON, 25 October 2018 - Coca-Cola European Partners plc (CCEP) (ticker symbol: CCE) today announces its interim results for the third-quarter ended 28 September 2018 and maintains full-year 2018 outlook.

Highlights

• Nine months diluted earnings per share were €1.58 on a reported basis or €1.76 on a comparable basis, including a negligible impact from currency translation.
• Nine months revenue totalled €8.7 billion, up 4.0 percent, or up 4.5 percent on a comparable and fx-neutral basis. Volume decreased 0.5 percent on a comparable basis, partly reflecting the impact of recent strategic portfolio and pricing decisions.
• Nine months reported operating profit was €1.1 billion, up 4.0 percent; comparable operating profit was €1.2 billion, up 7.5 percent on a comparable basis, or up 8.0 percent on a comparable and fx-neutral basis.
• Third-quarter diluted earnings per share were €0.73 on a reported basis or €0.76 on a comparable basis, including a negligible impact from currency translation.
• CCEP affirms full-year guidance for 2018 including comparable diluted earnings per share in a range of €2.27 to €2.29 including currency translation at recent rates and the impact of share buybacks.
• CCEP declares fourth-quarter interim dividend of €0.28 per share implying an annualised dividend payout ratio of approximately 50 percent.

Damian Gammell, Chief Executive Officer, said:

“Our year-to-date results reflect our ongoing focus on driving profitable revenue growth through continued strong price and mix realisation and solid in-market execution. I am particularly pleased with how our teams across Great Britain, Germany and Northern Europe have embraced the positive challenges brought by great summer weather, although partially offset by softer trading in Spain and France.

“It is a fantastic time to be leading Coca-Cola European Partners, soon with a new CCEP ticker, and the world’s largest independent Coca-Cola bottler by net revenue. As we laid out at our recent Capital Markets Day, we have an exciting but realistic long-term view of the growth opportunity across our portfolio of markets. We continue to make the right strategic decisions for the long-term alongside investing now in core capabilities that will support our growth and set us apart to win.

“Given our solid performance year-to-date, we are reaffirming our 2018 profit outlook. We are on track to return up to €500 million to shareholders in 2018 as part of the recently announced €1.5 billion share buyback programme, which alongside moving to an annualised payout ratio of approximately 50 percent in Q4 2018, collectively demonstrate our ultimate goal of delivering sustainable value for our shareholders.”