{"id":52258,"date":"2025-08-24T00:38:26","date_gmt":"2025-08-24T04:38:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/coca-cola-weighs-costa-coffee-sale-amid-stagnation-russias-tourism-surges-as-drones-strike-samara-industrial-sites\/52258\/"},"modified":"2025-08-24T00:38:26","modified_gmt":"2025-08-24T04:38:26","slug":"coca-cola-weighs-costa-coffee-sale-amid-stagnation-russias-tourism-surges-as-drones-strike-samara-industrial-sites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/coca-cola-weighs-costa-coffee-sale-amid-stagnation-russias-tourism-surges-as-drones-strike-samara-industrial-sites\/52258\/","title":{"rendered":"Coca-Cola Weighs Costa Coffee Sale Amid Stagnation; Russia&#8217;s Tourism Surges as Drones Strike Samara Industrial Sites"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Coca-Cola (<a href=\"\/stock\/KO\">KO<\/a>) is reportedly considering the sale of its Costa Coffee business, a $4.9 billion acquisition, following CEO James Quincey&#39;s admission that the investment has not met expectations due to stagnant growth and market challenges.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Russia is experiencing a significant tourism boom from Gulf countries, with Saudi Arabian arrivals surging 570% in one year and Kuwaiti visitors to Moscow increasing tenfold, driven by a streamlined e-visa system and targeted marketing efforts amidst Western sanctions.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Ukrainian drones have struck industrial sites in Russia&#39;s Samara region, including oil refineries and an explosives production facility, resulting in civilian casualties and damage as Kyiv continues its campaign against Russian energy and military infrastructure.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Coca-Cola Rethinks Costa Coffee Strategy Amid Underperformance<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The Coca-Cola Company (<a href=\"\/stock\/KO\">KO<\/a>)<\/strong> is reportedly evaluating the future of its <strong>Costa Coffee<\/strong> business, a move that could lead to a divestment of the coffee chain it acquired for <strong>$4.9 billion<\/strong> (\u00a33.9 billion) in 2019. CEO <strong>James Quincey<\/strong> stated that the investment &quot;is not where we wanted it to be,&quot; prompting a reflection on the company&#39;s coffee strategy and consideration of new growth avenues.<\/p>\n<p><em>Costa Coffee&#39;s<\/em> revenue has shown signs of stagnation, dipping from <strong>\u00a31.3 billion ($1.7 billion)<\/strong> in 2018 to <strong>\u00a31.22 billion<\/strong> in 2023. The brand has faced significant challenges, particularly in the oversaturated U.S. coffee market, where it struggles against established competitors. <em>Volatile coffee prices<\/em>, influenced by extreme weather and supply disruptions, have also squeezed margins, with Arabica coffee prices swinging from <strong>$1.50 per pound<\/strong> in mid-2023 to record highs of <strong>$4.30<\/strong> in early 2025.<\/p>\n<h2>Russia Emerges as New Holiday Hotspot for Gulf Tourists<\/h2>\n<p>Russia is witnessing an unexpected tourism surge from Gulf countries, positioning itself as a new holiday hotspot. Saudi Arabia, in particular, saw a remarkable <strong>570% increase<\/strong> in tourist arrivals to Russia in just one year, with over <strong>52,000 visitors in 2024<\/strong> compared to approximately 9,000 in 2023. Kuwait also reported a <strong>ten-fold increase<\/strong> in visitors to Moscow during the first nine months of 2024, totaling around <strong>13,900 travelers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>This significant shift is largely attributed to Russia&#39;s introduction of a streamlined e-visa system in August 2023, coupled with an increase in direct flights and aggressive promotional campaigns by Russian tourism agencies targeting Gulf travel expos. Russia is actively marketing itself as a <em>Muslim-friendly destination<\/em>, offering halal tourism experiences, Islamic heritage sites, and exclusive wellness retreats, appealing to travelers seeking alternatives to traditional European destinations amidst Western sanctions.<\/p>\n<h2>Ukrainian Drones Strike Russian Industrial Sites in Samara Region<\/h2>\n<p>Ukrainian drone attacks have targeted industrial facilities in Russia&#39;s Samara region, causing damage and civilian casualties. Reports indicate that an <strong>oil refinery<\/strong>, identified as either the Novokuibyshevsky or Syzran refinery owned by state-controlled <strong>Rosneft<\/strong>, was struck, leading to fires and explosions.<\/p>\n<p>In one incident, a civilian was killed when a downed drone impacted his home in Samara, and another employee guarding a facility in the Rostov region also died. The attacks are part of Ukraine&#39;s ongoing strategy to target Russia&#39;s energy infrastructure and military-industrial complex. Following one incident, mobile internet access was temporarily restricted, and Samara airport was closed. Ukraine&#39;s SBU security service also claimed responsibility for a strike on the <strong>Promsintez explosives production plant<\/strong> in the Samara region, which resulted in multiple explosions and fires.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Coca-Cola (KO) is reportedly considering the sale of its Costa Coffee business, a $4.9 billion acquisition, following CEO [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50383,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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