The story of
in Denmark
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The story of |
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| Coca-Cola starts its
story in Denmark in 1920, where the company gets its trademark in
Denmark, just
to be on the safe side! But it was not until 1936, that the
manager of the local beer-brewery WIIBROE in Helsingor (Elsinore) Mr.
Knud Perkov told the sceptical members of board, about a very fine
american product, he and brewmaster I.C. Wiibroe had been in Germany to
learn about. The product, better known as Coca-Cola was in the years
before, introduced to the german people. |
It is said, that even Adolf Hitler should had been seen, drinking a Coca-Cola, while he was watching the movie "Gone with the wind" in his private cinema. |
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So Mr. Knud Parkov investigated the posibilities of distribution and sale of Coca-Cola to different plants and dealers, while he ment that sale should be contry-wide. He succeed, and Mr. parkov could even show a budget, that was based on a annual sale of 400.000 bottles, which would give a profit of DKR 4000 (US$ 600, at JAN 2004 level) The contract between the licence-keeper
of Coca-Cola in Bruxelles, Belgium and Wiibroe Plant should ment to be valid for
5 years, but could be ended by both parts at any time. A part of the adverticing
should even be paid by Coca-cola Belgium. The members of the board at Wiibroe
could not see the gain, but let Parkov and brewmaster Wiibroe continue the
project, if they were willing to take the economical responsibility. The result
was, that Wiibroe Brewery started to sell Coca-Cola in all of Denmark in 1936. |
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The syrup came from Bruxelles, but the special bottle, tools and adverticing articles was made in Denmark, or imported from belgium, England and USA. Due to the fact, that not even it was a new product Coca-Cola, it also had a very unusual taste for the danes, it demanded a surtain habituation, and therefore the aim was to get a lot of mobil stalls at different fairs, instead of using money on expensive adverticing. The first year, you wouldnt even find an advertisment in the local newspapers. Enjoy cold.. and that was a big problem at that time. In 1936 the brewery bought an "eletric Coca-Cola cooler with engine", at very high costs. I was ment to be used, at fairs where the brewery gave away free Coca-Cola, as a taster. Instead the brewery bought two much cheaper coldcounters, with container to ice and a brass moneybox, to be used in the mobile stalls. |
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The danish Association of Brewery Plants sentenced in 1937 a penalty for giving away 1500 free bottles of Coca-Cola to the shipyardworkers at "Teglholmen" and "Burmaister&Wain shipyard" in Copenhagen. The penalty was payed, but as soon as the year after, it was the workers at the "Rekylgevaerfabrikken" (Shotgunfactory) in the industrial part of Copenhagen Port, who was given a larger amount of free botles of Coca-Cola, which was a violation of danish trading law. Coca-Cola had a good sale in Denmark and culminated in 1937/1938 with 660.027 sold bottles. The second World War was hard to Coca-Cola in Denmark. The brewery couldnt deliver continously, and in the year 1942/1943 there was only sold 86.187 bottles. In june 1943 suckar was rationiced in denmark, which ended the sale totally, when stock was used. Coca-Cola was never a big hit for Wiibroe brewery. Seen proportionally Coca-Cola had just a very small part of Wiibroes sale, proberbly due to the problems with cooling and the unusual taste. In 1949 Coca-Cola tryede to get into the
danish market, and Scandinavia as well, and Wiibroe Brewery was contacted, for
coorporation. Wiibroe was positive, but a cooperation never got started, due to
problems with a special tax on softdrinks with cola-extractes. (1 DKR pr. liter
and only DKR 0,12 on other softdrinks) |
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Coca-Cola and Dansk Delikatesse Kompagni (DADEKO) Dansk Delikatesse Kompagni (DADEKO) was the company, that got the rights to produce sell and distibute Coca-Cola in Eastern Denmark after the Second World War. Manager Jørgen Risvang at DADEKO wanted the special tax on cola-softdrink removed, and by spending a lot of time in the Folketing, the danish parliament, he succeed to get the politicians to lower the unfair tax, and soon after,people could see |
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brandnew Bedford trucks in the streets, and the drivers - who also were the salesmen - in the shops, trying to convince the shopowners, about the advantage in having Coca-Cola in their shops. The drivers also went to schools and canteens in larger companies, to give out free samples of Coca-Cola. The sale of Coca-Cola went up and up.
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A new plant was build at Sprogøvej at Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, and it had a capacity of 10.000 bottles pr. hour, and every bottle was a 19 cl. bottle. In 1960, the company Wilian and
Madsen Inc. gets the rights to produce, sell and distribute Coca-Cola in
the western part of Denmark. DADEKO extends the plant at Frederiksberg
and establishes another fillingline, with the capacity of 16.000 bottles
pr. hour. |
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1961 DADEKO introduces the 35 cl bottle, as counter-measure to unexpected hard competition from Wiibroe in Helsingor (the company who started producing Coca-Cola in Denmark, in 1936), who has developed their own Jolly Cola. In several years Jolly Cola sells much better in Denmark, comparing to both Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola. 1964 is the year where Coca-Cola in Denmark gets her first littlesiste. FANTA is introduced to the danish people, and its becomming a big hit, and nessesitates an extension of the trucks in the company. It resolves in problems with enough room at the Frederiksberg plant, so DADEKO buys a site at 30.000 squaremeters in the industrial area Herstedøster, west of Copenhagen, and moves the production. |
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To get a even bigger market, DADEKO introduces 1967 a new strategy in Denmark. By collecting 5 specially made bottlecaps with sportmotifs, the customers could win a travel to the Olympic Games 1968 in Mexico. It was a giant succes and the specially hot summer this year, contributed to the progress. This year the turnover was 38.117.000 DKR. 1969. The new plant at Herstedøster was opened, and the year after the turnover passed 48.849.000 DKR. |
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In 1971 Pepsi is itroduced to the danish market, and as counter-measure to this, DADEKO starts selling its Coca-Cola in 1.liter disposal glasbottles. This is a bullseye. The customers were extatic. and soon the disposal bottle was relieved by a more environmental recyckling glassbottle. Contourshaped naturally..In 1972 it is time for introducing the new type of contourbottle 25 cl (same type as we still got) and another sister to Coca-Cola, namely the Sprite. 1973 is a bad year for Coca-Cola in Denmark, the turnover hits the 1967 level, and will not raise above level until 1976, after DADEKO takes over the sale of Schweppes in Denmark. 1977 is DADEKO sold to Carlsberg Breweries and sale of postmix is started. The contourshaped bottle gets its trademark worldwide. In 1980 DADEKO and WILIAN & MADSEN Inc. (who is the distributor of Coca-Cola in western Denmark and a lot of other softdrinks sold in both the western and the eastern parts.) fusions, and turnover lands at DKR 154.742.000. In 1983 Coke Light is introduced to the danish customers. The expencive proces, printing the Coca-Cola logo directly on the 25 cl. bottles, is brought down in 1986, by starting to use paperlabels on the bottles, and in 1988 the television-viewer can see coca-cola adverticing for the first time, which give sale an extra jump upwards. |
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| 1990 is the year, where the name of the manager is Hans-Henrik Nehammer, and he introduces a new phenomenom in Denmark. A vending slot machine,especially made for workplaces, which is going to be the best selling vendingmachine ever. |
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| He also lets the heavy 1,0 liter glassbottle be relieved by a much ligther 1,5 liter recycling plasticbottle in 1991. This makes the salesnumbers change from DKR 100.000.000 to 250.000.000. Later, in 1995, the 0,5 liter plasticbottle for recycling is introduced. The annual increase of employees is at this moment app. 60 persons pr. year. |
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From 1994 - 1999
the name of the manager is Jesper Møller, who formes Coca-Cola Cold
Drink, as an independant salesdivision, with the purpose to make new
markets, where the customers drinks their Coca-Cola, at the place they
buys it. |
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DADEKO becomes a part of Coca-Cola Nordic Beverages A/S (CCNB) and CCNB gets status as "Anchor Bottler" (i.o.w. one of Coca-Cola Company´s priority cooperators). DADEKO changes in 1998 her name
to Coca-Cola Tapperierne A/S and turnover
1997/98: DKR 1.677.842.000. Coca-Cola plants in Denmark sells
201.992.872 liter of softdrink. |
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1999. Agnete Raaschou-Nielsen is new manager and the Coca-Cola Denmark celebrates their 40 years jubilee, without looking at the Wiibroe-period from 1936. Coke Light launches in a more fresh and original taste and at New Year 2003 the introducion of the Coca-Cola Ligth Lemon reaches the danish, as the newest in the family, and as acounter-measure to the Pepsi "Twist" |
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2002 "The dynamic wave" is introduced in Denmark, and soon it appears on both bottles and cans
The european hampionship in soccer this year, is held in
Portugal, and Coca-cola launches a various of commemorative bottles and cans,
and in april in Denmark, a new type of labeling is introduced, with the "sleeve"
label, which covers the whole bottle in a plasticfoil. 16 different 0.5 liters
PET bottles is made, each presenting a country, that participatede in the
Euro2004.
Coca-Cola launches september 2004 a campaign, with 49 7/11-shop, where the
costumer choose their own sleeve out of 4 different, for their bottle, under the
slogan "Design your own Coke". The sleeve is then mounted in the shop, and you
have a bottle of "your own design".
Spring 2004 Coca-Cola introduces the 2.0 liter PET bottle in chosen chain of
supermarkets.
Coca-Cola Danmark did not celebrate the Olympic Games in Athens this year, due to the rather high expences of the EURO2004 campaign, but launched in November a campaign, together with the nordic contries, called the "X-Mas Tournament.
