Kofola sees sales fall 3.1 pct yr/yr to Kc2.97bn in H1

Ostrava, North Moravia, Sept 2 (CTK) - Drinks group Kofola saw its sales fall by 3.1 percent yr/yr to Kc2.97bn in H1, and its operating profit EBITDA decreased by 14.2 percent to Kc511.1m, the company told CTK in a press release today.

It said that predictions of a fall in demand due to tax interventions had been confirmed. The subsidiaries Radenska Adriatic, Leros and UGO recorded higher sales year-on-year, exceeding their targets.

"The slightly lower sales were partly due to the slower arrival of the warmer spring months. The most notable drop was in the sales of sweetened beverages in Slovakia, caused by the introduction of a high excise tax,” said Daniel Burys, CEO of Kofola in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Kofola continued to build and strengthen its brands and complete portfolio of soft drinks, and the trend of stabilising costs for materials, raw materials and energy continued. According to the company, the cold spring affected overall sales in the gastronomy sector and Czech breweries.

"The decline in revenues was caused by poor weather, and export sales also fell. In the second quarter, no sales format performed well – declines were recorded in cans, glass bottles, and kegs. Overall, compared to last year, we are down 7.9 percent in sales, and at the EBITDA level we are 18.3 percent below last year,” said Rene Musila, CEO of beer maker Pivovary CZ Group.

Herbal tea maker Leros exceeded expectations in both sales and EBITDA in Q2, its head Martin Mateas noted.

Radenska Adriatic recorded solid year-on-year sales growth of 3.2 percent in the first half of the year. “Growth was supported mainly by higher sales in Slovenia (+4 percent) and a 5 percent increase in export markets. We saw a sharp rise in demand and consumption, particularly in June, when the region was hit by a prolonged heatwave. However, this growth was not fully reflected in EBITDA, mainly due to higher operating costs related to increased brand investments and rising wage costs following adjustments to the minimum wage,” said Radenska Adriatic CEO Marian Sefcovic.

Kofola has started the construction of a warehouse at its plant in Mnichovo Hradiste, Central Bohemia, which should bring future efficiencies in logistics and warehousing.

"With regard to its outlook, Kofola decided to revise its 2025 guidance, narrowing the range of expected EBITDA from Kc1.9–2bn to the lower end of that range. It still expects growth compared to 2024, when total EBITDA reached Kc1.85bn," the company said.

Kofola, headquartered in Ostrava, is one of the most important producers of soft drinks in Central Europe, with 14 production plants in five European markets. The company's products, in addition to its namesake beverage, include the Rajec, Korunni, Ondrasovka, Klastorna Kalcia, Jupi, Vinea and Semtex brands. The group also includes fresh juice and salad producer UGO, Czech herbal mixture and tea maker Leros, Pivovary CZ Group, which covers the Holba, Zubr and Litovel beer brands, Slovenian company Radenska and Croatian mineral water produder Studenac.

The Kofola group has nearly 3,300 employees.

Kofola's business results (in Kc mil.):

	H1 2025*	H1 2024*	change 2025/2024	change in pct
sales	2,971.5	3,067.2	-95.7	-3.1
EBITDA	511.1	595.6	-84.5	-14.2

* adjusted for one-off items

Source: Kofola

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