NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / March 13, 2018 / Shares of Starbucks saw slight gains in Monday trading after announcing a big deal with SouthRock, a multi-brand restaurant in Brazil. Shares of the Coca-Cola company were in the red but the company has an exciting new product ? alcoholic Coke! ? which has been initially introduced in Japan.

RDI Initiates Coverage on:

Starbucks Corporation
https://rdinvesting.com/news/?ticker=SBUX

The Coca-Cola Company
https://rdinvesting.com/news/?ticker=KO

Starbucks Corporation shares closed up 1.61% on about 10.5 million shares traded on Monday. The coffee giant announced yesterday that it has entered into an agreement with SouthRock. SouthRock is a leading multi-brand restaurant that operates in the country of Brazil. The agreement is for SouthRock to fully license Starbucks retail operations in the country. Ricardo Rico, the general manager and vice president for Starbucks licensed store operations in Latin America stated, "We strongly believe this is the right time to leverage a strong local business partner like SouthRock as we pursue our ambitious, long-term growth agenda for Brazil. SouthRock has a solid track record of bringing unique retail experiences to customers in Brazil, creating meaningful opportunities for its employees, and investing in the Brazilian economy. They are the ideal partner to take the Starbucks brand into the next phase of profitable growth in Brazil." SouthRock CEO Ken Pope commented, "Our management team's track record is one built on growth through operational excellence, and our shared values with Starbucks are particularly evident in our respect for our employees and the communities we serve. SouthRock is committed to caring for and growing the Starbucks brand, now and into the future." Pope also added, "With Starbucks, we see continued opportunities for growth in existing markets like São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, as well as new markets like Brasilia and the South, and look forward to leveraging our local market capabilities to create even greater value for both Starbucks employees and customers." In other news, JP Morgan issued a bullish note on the company, reiterating its 'overweight' rating stating that it expects Starbucks to rally on sales growth turnaround.

Access RDI's Starbucks Corporation Research Report at:
https://rdinvesting.com/news/?ticker=SBUX

The Coca-Cola Company shares closed down 0.65% yesterday on nearly 12 million shares traded. It was recently revealed that the soft-drink company has launched an alcoholic beverage, but in Japan initially. The product is called alcoholic Coke! Analyst Kevin Grandy of Jefferies remarked, "While noteworthy given that it marks KO's first foray into the alcoholic space, we view it as more evolutionary than revolutionary, consistent with Coke's openness to emerging categories outside of its core." Grandy also added, "We maintain a positive bias on CEO James Quincey's vision to make KO a more nimble, leaner and consumer-centric company, focused on accelerating growth." He further said, "The company?s global leadership is talented and its shared vision for KO's path forward apparent. Quincey is clearly the right leader at the right time for KO." The firm as a "hold" rating on the stock.

Access RDI's The Coca-Cola Company Research Report at:
https://rdinvesting.com/news/?ticker=KO

Our Actionable Research on Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) and The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) can be downloaded free of charge at Research Driven Investing.

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