PepsiCo affirms its commitment at the Egypt Economic Development Conference (EEDC) in Sharm El-Sheikh.
Investment directed towards strengthening and expanding operations to meet demands of Egyptian consumers.
PepsiCo to continue enhancing the lives of Egyptians through its community development programs.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates - March 15, 2015
PepsiCo, Inc., one of the world's leading food and beverage companies, today affirmed its commitment to Egypt announcing plans for the company and its partners to invest U.S. $500 million in the country at the Egypt Economic Development Conference (EEDC) in Sharm El-Sheikh.
PepsiCo, which has been operating in the country for more than 50 years, reiterated the importance of its Egyptian operations during the conference, hosted by His Excellency President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.
"Egypt is the anchor of our North African operations and one of our most important and promising markets," said Omar Farid, PepsiCo's President for the Middle East and Africa. "We have only scratched the surface of the long-term growth opportunities that exist for PepsiCo and our partners in Egypt, and we are confident that this investment will help us continue our momentum in the country."
Farid said the investment will be directed towards strengthening and expanding PepsiCo's operations. The company operates 11 manufacturing facilities throughout Egypt, has approximately 47 distribution centers/warehouses/offices, and provides full-time employment to more than 10,500 Egyptians. Every year, PepsiCo and its partners also work directly or indirectly with 10,000 Egyptian farmers to expand their capabilities through modern farming techniques helping them expand their businesses. All of its Chipsy/Lay's chips in Egypt are locally sourced.
"We have a laser focus on expanding into new categories and providing diverse product choices to meet the demands of our Egyptian consumers, in addition to growing PepsiCo's footprint in new North African markets," said Farid.
PepsiCo also participated in a panel discussion about the future of Egypt's manufacturing and industry sectors, during which time Farid highlighted PepsiCo Egypt's success story, from the humble introduction of Pepsi-Cola more than 50 years ago to its evolution into a food and beverage powerhouse with a wide portfolio of brands ranging from soft drinks and potato chips to bread snacks, biscuits and nuts as well as juices and dairy products through its joint venture with Almarai. He reiterated PepsiCo's commitment to, and confidence in, the country.
Hosted by President El-Sisi, the EEDC is a key milestone of the government's medium term economic development plan, which is designed to bring prosperity and improved social services to the people of Egypt. The EEDC highlighted the extensive reforms the Egyptian government has already implemented and showcased future reforms designed to restore fiscal stability, drive growth and attract investment with the overarching aim of improving the welfare of the Egyptian people. The conference presented investment opportunities to domestic and international investors across key sectors.
PepsiCo Egypt delivers a broad portfolio of well-known brands including Pepsi, 7UP, Mirinda, Chipsy potato chips, Doritos and Cheetos, and through its joint venture with Almarai produces Beyti-Tropicana juice and Beyti-Almarai dairy products. The company is strongly focused on innovation and on delighting consumers with a diverse and continually evolving product portfolio to meet consumer demand.
PepsiCo is a leader in social responsibility and has invested in the community for the past 15 years in programs that combat hunger through a food for education program, provide educational opportunities such as skills building and vocational training programs, supporting entrepreneurship and promoting the development of emerging football talent in schools through the Grassroots Pepsi Football League "Dawry Al Madares".
Farid's participation on the panel follows shortly after senior executives from PepsiCo met with several government officials to discuss measures being taken to boost direct and indirect investments in Egypt as well as sustainable development. During these meetings, PepsiCo highlighted Egypt's strategic location and other key advantages for multinationals operating in the country and reiterated its commitment to investing in and developing Egypt for years to come.
-Ends-
For further information on PepsiCo please contact:
Noha Hefny
Noha.hefny@pepsico.com
Shereen Shaheen
Shereen.shaheen@pepsico.com
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $66 billion in net revenue in 2014, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.
At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose - our goal to deliver top-tier financial performance while creating sustainable growth and shareholder value. In practice, Performance with Purpose means providing a wide range of foods and beverages from treats to healthy eats; finding innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment and reduce our operating costs; providing a safe and inclusive workplace for our employees globally; and respecting, supporting and investing in the local communities where we operate. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.
Cautionary Statement
Statements in this communication that are "forward-looking statements" are based on currently available information, operating plans and projections about future events and trends. Terminology such as "aim," "anticipate," "believe," "drive," "estimate," "expect," "expressed confidence," "forecast," "future," "goals," "guidance," "intend," "may," "objectives," "outlook," "plan," "position," "potential," "project," "seek," "should," "strategy," "target," "will" or similar statements or variations of such terms are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such terms. Forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted in such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: changes in demand for PepsiCo's products, as a result of changes in consumer preferences or otherwise; changes in the legal and regulatory environment; imposition of new taxes, disagreements with tax authorities or additional tax liabilities; PepsiCo's ability to compete effectively; PepsiCo's ability to grow its business in developing and emerging markets or unstable political conditions, civil unrest or other developments and risks in the markets where PepsiCo's products are made, manufactured, distributed or sold; unfavorable economic conditions in the countries in which PepsiCo operates; increased costs, disruption of supply or shortages of raw materials and other supplies; failure to realize anticipated benefits from PepsiCo's productivity initiatives or global operating model; disruption of PepsiCo's supply chain; product contamination or tampering or issues or concerns with respect to product quality, safety and integrity; damage to PepsiCo's reputation or brand image; failure to successfully complete or integrate acquisitions and joint ventures into PepsiCo's existing operations or to complete or manage divestitures or refranchisings; PepsiCo's ability to hire or retain key employees or a highly skilled and diverse workforce; loss of any key customer or changes to the retail landscape; any downgrade or potential downgrade of PepsiCo's credit ratings; the ability to protect information systems against or effectively respond to a cybersecurity incident or other disruption; PepsiCo's ability to implement shared services or utilize information technology systems and networks effectively; fluctuations or other changes in exchange rates, including the potential introduction of new exchange mechanisms in Venezuela; climate change, or legal, regulatory or market measures to address climate change; failure to successfully negotiate collective bargaining agreements or strikes or work stoppages; any infringement of or challenge to PepsiCo's intellectual property rights; potential liabilities and costs from litigation or legal proceedings; and other factors that may adversely affect the price of PepsiCo's common stock and financial performance.
For additional information on these and other factors that could cause PepsiCo's actual results to materially differ from those set forth herein, please see PepsiCo's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent annual report on Form 10-K and subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. PepsiCo undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
© Press Release 2015