Coca-Cola Malaysia deepens market penetration, partners Zouk KL

Zouk Kuala Lumpur has named Coca-Cola Malaysia as its new beverage partner for a period of three years. As part of the partnership, Zouk will serve beverages such as Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Sprite, Heaven & Earth Jasmine Green Tea and Schweppes Ginger Ale.In a statement to A+M, Coca-Cola's spokesperson said Zouk will be promoting Coca-Cola Zero Sugar on its in-house TVs and social media platforms, as the company will now be able to offer a zero calorie beverage to its patrons. The company believes that its strong portfolio of brands, as well as consumers familiarity with the company, were the key determining factors to being selected as Zouk's beverage partner, added the spokesperson.A+M has reached out to Zouk for comment.“We are really excited to be a part of Kuala Lumpur’s clubbing scene as a partner of the iconic Zouk Kuala Lumpur where we will be refreshing patrons and keeping the party afloat with our own iconic brands from the Coca-Cola portfolio,” Gareth McGeown, CEO of Coca-Cola’s Bottling Investments Group Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei, said.“A leader in its market and a favourable brand among our target audience, this partnership sits well with Zouk KL commercially. With a highly commendable marketing support and an extensive distribution network, it is safe to say that Zouk KL will be receiving all the support we need,” Cher Ng, executive director of Zouk Kuala Lumpur, said.Zouk first opened in Malaysia in 2004 and comprises 11 venues, occupying a total of 60,000 sq ft of build-in club space. A+M has reached out to Zouk for further comment.Earlier this year, Coca-Cola revealed significant strategy changes, including 1,200 job cuts to be made throughout next year, in a bid to achieve additional US$800 million in cost savings over the next few years. It also got rid of the global CMO role by merging it with “customer and commercial leadership as well as strategy” to create a new chief growth officer role.Coca-Cola has also renewed and inked new deals with other food and beverage outlets this year. In May, the beverage company renewed its partnership with Envictus Food Service, the operator of the Texas Chicken restaurants in Malaysia for a period of five years. It also signed a five-year strategic deal with American diner Morganfield’s.