Greek Coke bottler Q1 net loss widens, misses forecast

The Athens-based company, with operations in 27 countries in Europe and in Nigeria, said on Thursday comparable net loss came in at 19 mln euros ($24.6 mln), higher than analysts' average 14.2 mln euros forecast in a Reuters poll.

The bottler said the volume of unit cases sold dropped by 2% year-on-year to 425 mln.

"We continue to witness macroeconomic uncertainty in all of our EU markets," the company's chief executive Dimitris Lois said in a statement. "We are also facing persistent input cost pressures, whose year-on-year growth peaked in the first quarter," he added.

On the other hand, the company said it maintained or increased its market volume share in sparkling beverages in most of its markets, including Italy, Switzerland, Russia and Ukraine.