Coca-Cola Amatil’s shareholders approve $7.68B takeover

The independent shareholders of Coca-Cola Amatil Ltd. voted almost unanimously in favor of Coca-Cola European Partners acquiring the Australian-headquartered bottler for $7.68 billion, according to an announcement at Amatil’s investor page.

Employing some 12,000 people, Coca-Cola Amatil is one of the largest bottlers of ready-to-drink beverages in the Asia-Pacific region. It’s listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.

In a stock exchange filing on April 16, Amatil said it would pay its shareholders a final dividend of about $0.14 a share at the end of the month. Amatil's shares are supposed to be suspended on the Australia securities exchange at close of trading on April 21. The acquisition is expected to close May 10.

Coca-Cola European Partners announced a binding agreement for a best and final offer to the independent shareholders of Coca-Cola Amatil on Feb. 14.

Headquartered in Uxbridge, England, Coca-Cola European Partners currently employs 23,300 people. It was created in May 2016 with the merger of three European bottling companies: Coca-Cola Enterprises, Coca-Cola Iberian Partners and Coca-Cola Erfrischungsgetränke.