Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

ACQUISITIONS AND DIVESTITURES

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ACQUISITIONS AND DIVESTITURES
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Acquisitions and Divestitures Disclosure [  
ACQUISITIONS AND DIVESTITURES
ACQUISITIONS AND DIVESTITURES
Acquisitions
During 2014, our Company's acquisitions of businesses, equity method investments and nonmarketable securities totaled $389 million and primarily included a joint investment with one of our bottling partners in a dairy company in Ecuador, which is accounted for under the equity method of accounting.
During 2013, our Company's acquisitions of businesses, equity method investments and nonmarketable securities totaled $353 million, which primarily included our acquisition of the majority of the remaining outstanding shares of Fresh Trading Ltd. ("innocent") and a majority interest in bottling operations in Myanmar. The Company previously accounted for our investment in innocent under the equity method of accounting. We remeasured our equity interest in innocent to fair value upon the close of the transaction. The resulting gain on the remeasurement was not significant to our consolidated financial statements.
During 2012, our Company's acquisitions of businesses, equity method investments and nonmarketable securities totaled $1,486 million. These payments were primarily related to the following: our investments in the existing beverage business of Aujan Industries Company J.S.C. ("Aujan"), one of the largest independent beverage companies in the Middle East; our investment in Mikuni Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Ltd. ("Mikuni"), a bottling partner located in Japan; our acquisition of Sacramento Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Inc. ("Sacramento bottler"); and our acquisition of bottling operations in Vietnam, Cambodia and Guatemala. The Company's investment in Mikuni was accounted for under the equity method of accounting prior to 2013, when this investment was merged with three other bottlers to form Coca-Cola East Japan Bottling Company, Ltd. ("CCEJ"). Refer to Note 17 for details on this transaction. The Company paid $820 million during 2012 under its definitive agreement with Aujan in exchange for an ownership interest of 50 percent in the entity that holds the rights in certain territories to brands produced and distributed by Aujan and an ownership interest of 49 percent in Aujan's bottling and distribution operations in certain territories. The Company's investments in Aujan are being accounted for under the equity method of accounting.
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc.
In February 2014, the Company and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc., now known as Keurig Green Mountain, Inc. ("Keurig"), entered into a 10-year global strategic agreement to collaborate on the development and introduction of the Company’s global brand portfolio for use in Keurig’s forthcoming Keurig KoldTM at-home beverage system. Under the agreement, the companies will cooperate to bring the Keurig KoldTM beverage system to consumers around the world, and Keurig will be the Company's exclusive partner for the production and sale of our branded single-serve, pod-based cold beverages. Together we will also explore future opportunities to collaborate on the Keurig® platform. In an effort to align long-term interests, we also entered into an agreement to purchase a 10 percent equity position in Keurig, and on February 27, 2014, the Company purchased the newly issued shares in Keurig for approximately $1,265 million, including transaction costs of $14 million.
In May 2014, the Company purchased additional shares of Keurig in the market for $302 million, which represented an additional 2 percent equity position in Keurig. We account for the investment in Keurig as an available-for-sale security, which is included in the line item other investments in our consolidated balance sheet. These purchases were included in the line item purchases of investments in our consolidated statement of cash flows.
Subsequent to these purchases, the Company entered into an agreement with Credit Suisse Capital LLC ("CS") to purchase additional shares of Keurig which would increase the Company's equity position to a 16 percent interest based on the total number of issued and outstanding shares of Keurig as of May 1, 2014. Under the agreement, the Company will purchase from CS, on a date selected by CS no later than February 2015, the lesser of (1) 6.5 million shares of Keurig or (2) the number of shares that shall cause our ownership to equal 16 percent. The purchase price per share will be the average of the daily volume-weighted average price per share from May 15, 2014, to the date selected by CS, as adjusted in certain circumstances specified in the agreement. CS will have exclusive ownership and control over any such shares until delivered to the Company. This agreement with CS qualifies as a derivative, and the changes in its fair value are immediately recognized into earnings.
Coca-Cola Erfrischungsgetränke AG
In conjunction with the Company's acquisition of 18 German bottling and distribution operations in 2007, the former owners received put options to sell their respective shares in Coca-Cola Erfrischungsgetränke AG ("CCEAG") back to the Company in January 2014. The Company paid $503 million to purchase these shares, which was included in the line item other financing activities in our consolidated statement of cash flows, resulting in 100 percent ownership of CCEAG.
Divestitures
During 2014, proceeds from disposals of businesses, equity method investments and nonmarketable securities totaled $148 million, which primarily represented the proceeds from the refranchising of certain of our territories in North America.
During 2013, proceeds from disposals of businesses, equity method investments and nonmarketable securities totaled $872 million. These proceeds primarily included the sale of a majority ownership interest in our previously consolidated bottling operations in the Philippines ("Philippine bottling operations"), and separately, the deconsolidation of our bottling operations in Brazil ("Brazilian bottling operations").
North America Refranchising
In conjunction with implementing a new beverage partnership model in North America, the Company refranchised territories that were previously managed by CCR to certain of our unconsolidated bottling partners. These territories border these bottlers' existing territories, allowing each bottler to better service local customers and provide more efficient execution. Through the execution of comprehensive beverage agreements ("CBAs") with each of the bottlers, we granted certain exclusive territory rights for the distribution, promotion, marketing and sale of Company-owned and licensed beverage products as defined by the CBA. Under the arrangement for these territories, CCR retains the rights to produce these beverage products, and the bottlers will purchase from CCR substantially all of the related finished products needed in order to service the customers in these territories. Each CBA has a term of 10 years and is renewable by the bottler indefinitely for successive additional terms of 10 years each. Under the CBA, the bottlers will make ongoing quarterly payments to CCR based on their future gross profit in these territories throughout the term of the CBA, including renewals, in exchange for the grant of the exclusive territory rights.
Contemporaneously with the grant of these rights, the Company sold the distribution assets, certain working capital items, and the exclusive rights to distribute certain beverage brands not owned by the Company, but distributed by CCR, in each of these territories to the respective bottlers in exchange for cash. During the year ended December 31, 2014, cash proceeds from these sales totaled $143 million, which included proceeds of $42 million from Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated, an equity method investee. Under the applicable accounting guidance, we were required to derecognize all of the tangible assets sold as well as the intangible assets transferred, including distribution rights, customer relationships and an allocated portion of goodwill related to these territories. We recognized a noncash loss of $305 million during the year ended December 31, 2014 primarily related to the derecognition of the intangible assets transferred, which was included in the line item other income (loss) — net in our consolidated statements of income. We expect to recover the value of the intangible assets transferred to the bottlers under the CBAs through the future quarterly payments; however, as the payments for the territory rights are dependent on the bottlers' future gross profit in these territories, they are considered a form of contingent consideration.
There is diversity in practice as it relates to the accounting for contingent consideration by the seller. The seller can account for the future contingent payments received as a gain contingency, recognizing the amounts in the income statement only after the related contingencies are resolved and the gain is realized, which in this arrangement will be quarterly as the bottlers earn gross profit in the transferred territories. Alternatively, the seller can record a receivable for the contingent consideration at fair value on the date of sale and record any future differences between the payments received and this receivable in the income statement as they occur. We elected the gain contingency treatment since the quarterly payments will be received throughout the terms of the CBAs, including all subsequent renewals, regardless of the cumulative amount received as compared to the value of the intangible assets transferred.
Philippine Bottling Operations
On December 13, 2012, the Company and Coca-Cola FEMSA executed a share purchase agreement for the sale of a majority ownership interest in our Philippine bottling operations. As of December 31, 2012, our Philippine bottling operations met the criteria to be classified as held for sale, and we were required to record their assets and liabilities at the lower of carrying value or fair value less any costs to sell based on the agreed-upon purchase price. Accordingly, we recorded a total loss of $107 million, primarily during the fourth quarter of 2012, in the line item other income (loss) — net in our consolidated statement of income.
This transaction was completed on January 25, 2013. The Company now accounts for our remaining 49 percent ownership interest in the Philippine bottling operations under the equity method of accounting. As a result of this transaction, we remeasured our remaining investment in the Philippine bottling operations to fair value taking into consideration the sale price of the majority ownership interest. Coca-Cola FEMSA has an option to purchase our remaining ownership interest in the Philippine bottling operations at any time during the seven years following closing based on the initial purchase price plus a defined return. Coca-Cola FEMSA also has an option exercisable during the sixth year after closing to sell its ownership interest back to the Company at a price not to exceed the initial purchase price.
Brazilian Bottling Operations
On December 17, 2012, the Company entered into an agreement with several parties to combine our Brazilian bottling operations with an independent bottler in Brazil in a transaction involving a disposition of shares for cash and an exchange of shares for a 44 percent minority ownership interest in the newly combined entity, which was recorded at fair value. As of December 31, 2012, our Brazilian bottling operations met the criteria to be classified as held for sale, but we were not required to record their assets and liabilities at fair value less any costs to sell because their fair value exceeded our carrying value. This transaction was completed on July 3, 2013, and resulted in the deconsolidation of our Brazilian bottling operations. The Company recognized a gain of $615 million as a result of this transaction.
The owners of the majority interest have the option to acquire up to 24 percent of the new entity's outstanding shares from us at any time for a period of six years beginning December 31, 2013, based on an agreed-upon formula. In December 2014, the Company received notification that the owners of the majority interest had exercised their option to acquire from us a 10 percent interest in the entity's outstanding shares. During the year ended December 31, 2014, we recorded a loss of $32 million as a result of the exercise price being lower than our carrying value. As a result of the transaction, which closed in January 2015, the Company's ownership was reduced to 34 percent of the entity’s outstanding shares. The owners of the majority interest have a remaining option to acquire an additional 14 percent interest of the entity’s outstanding shares at any time through December 31, 2019, based on an agreed-upon formula.
Assets and Liabilities Held for Sale
North America Refranchising
As of December 31, 2014, the Company had entered into agreements to refranchise additional territories in North America. These territories met the criteria to be classified as held for sale, and we were required to record their assets and liabilities at the lower of carrying value or fair value less any costs to sell based on the agreed-upon sale price. The Company recognized a noncash loss of $494 million during the year ended December 31, 2014 as a result of writing down the assets to their fair value less costs to sell, which was included in the line item other income (loss) — net in our consolidated statement of income. This loss was primarily related to the anticipated derecognition of the intangible assets to be transferred, which we expect to recover under the CBAs through the future quarterly payments. The Company expects these transactions to close by the end of the second quarter of 2015.
Coca-Cola Beverages Africa Limited
In November 2014, the Company, SAB Miller plc, and Gutsche Family Investments announced an agreement to combine the bottling operations of their nonalcoholic ready-to-drink beverage businesses in Southern and East Africa. Upon completion of the proposed merger, the Company will have an ownership of 11 percent in the bottler which will be called Coca-Cola Beverages Africa Limited. The Company will also acquire or license several brands in exchange for cash as a result of the transaction. As of December 31, 2014, our South African bottling operations and related equity method investments met the criteria to be held for sale, but we were not required to record these assets and liabilities at fair value less any costs to sell because their fair value exceeded our carrying value. The Company expects the transaction to close in the second half of 2015, subject to regulatory approval. Based on the proposed governance structure, the Company expects to account for its resulting interest in the new entity as an equity method investment.
Monster Beverage Corporation
In August 2014, the Company and Monster Beverage Corporation ("Monster") entered into definitive agreements for a long-term strategic relationship in the global energy drink category. Subject to the terms and conditions of the agreements, upon the closing of the transactions (1) the Company will acquire newly issued shares of Monster common stock representing approximately 16.7 percent of the outstanding shares of Monster common stock (after giving effect to the new issuance) and will be represented by two directors on Monster's Board of Directors; (2) the Company will transfer its global energy drink business (including NOS, Full Throttle, Burn, Mother, Nalu, Play and Power Play, and Relentless) to Monster, and Monster will transfer its non-energy drink business (including Hansen's Natural Sodas, Peace Tea, Hubert's Lemonade and Hansen's Juice Products) to the Company; and (3) the parties will amend their current distribution coordination agreements with Monster to expand distribution of Monster products into additional territories pursuant to long-term agreements with the Company's existing network of Company-owned or -controlled bottling operations and bottling and distribution partners. Upon closing, the Company will make a net cash payment of $2.15 billion to Monster. The closing of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of regulatory approvals, and is expected to take place in the second quarter of 2015. Based on our anticipated representation on Monster's Board of Directors, the Company expects to account for its resulting interest in Monster as an equity method investment. As of December 31, 2014, the assets held by the Company's global energy drink business met the criteria to be held for sale, however, we were not required to record the assets at their fair value less any costs to sell because their fair value exceeded our carrying value.
The following table presents information related to the major classes of assets and liabilities that were classified as held for sale in our consolidated balance sheet (in millions):
 
December 31, 2014

Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments
$
30

Trade accounts receivable, less allowances
100

Inventories
54

Prepaid expenses and other assets
7

Equity method investments
141

Other assets
3

Property, plant and equipment — net
303

Bottlers' franchise rights with indefinite lives
410

Trademarks
43

Goodwill
46

Other intangible assets
36

Allowance for reduction of assets held for sale
(494
)
Total assets
$
679

Accounts payable and accrued expenses
$
48

Other liabilities
6

Deferred income taxes
4

Total liabilities
$
58


Included in the amounts above are total assets relating to North America refranchising of $223 million, Coca-Cola Beverages Africa Limited of $333 million, the pending Monster transaction of $43 million, and other assets held for sale of $80 million, and are included in the North America, Eurasia and Africa, Bottling Investments and Corporate operating segments. We determined that these operations did not meet the criteria to be classified as discontinued operations, primarily due to the continued significant involvement we will have in these operations following each transaction.