Coca-Cola CEO sees 'normalised pricing levels' after price hikes 

The company is working to offset the long decline in consumption of sweet, carbonated beverages.

Coca-Cola chief executive James Quincey expects consumer prices for the company’s beverages to moderate in the year ahead, after several quarters of price hikes in its European, Middle East, and African division to offset rising costs for commodities and other inputs. 

The Atlanta-based giant, whose brands include Powerade, Fanta, and Minute Maid, said that the increase in prices across a mix of its products was 9% in the fourth quarter, more than analysts expected. The company said the rise was largely driven by hyperinflation in certain parts of the world. Coca-Cola’s price increase across the mix of goods in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, was 24% in the quarter.