Coca-Cola Amatil votes in favour of European bottler's $7.68 billion takeover deal

[April 16, 2021]  (Reuters) - Coca-Cola Amatil said on Friday its independent shareholders voted in favour of Coca-Cola European Partners, the European bottling arm of Coca-Cola, acquiring the Australian firm for A$9.93 billion ($7.68 billion).

Bottles of Coca-Cola are seen at a Carrefour Hypermarket store in Montreuil, near Paris, France, February 5, 2018. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau

CCEP sweetened its takeover offer in February to A$13.5 per share from A$12.75 after reports that Amatil's major shareholders viewed the earlier offer as too low.

The deal, which would be Australia's biggest this year, will combine two companies that bottle and distribute Coca-Cola drinks, and gives CCEP a platform to consolidate in Asia.

New Zealand's Overseas Investment Office gave its approval for the deal on Wednesday but it still requires an Australian court's approval, which is scheduled for a hearing next week.

In a stock exchange filing on Friday, Amatil said it expects to pay its shareholders a final dividend of A$0.18 per share at the end of this month. (https://bit.ly/3x2hfoY)

Amatil's shares are expected to be suspended on the Australia securities exchange at close of trading on April 21, the company added.

($1 = 1.2933 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Sameer Manekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)

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