Coca-Cola to close 2 fruit-juice plants in Russia

US beverage giant Coca-Cola will close two fruit-juice factories in Russia in the coming months because of falling demand, a company spokesman told AFP Thursday. The plants belong to its Russian subsidiary Nidan, which The Coca-Cola Company, the world's largest soft-drink maker, acquired in 2010. One plant is located in Moscow and the other in Novosibirsk, Siberia. The closures will impact about 1,000 employees. The Atlanta, Georgia-based company said it was transferring the Moya Semy juice brand from those plants to its other Russian juice maker, Multon. "As the Russian juice market has undergone significant changes over the past few years, we have had to consolidate and better integrate our Nidan operations," the spokesman said in an email. Some employees laid off will be able to apply for jobs with Multon and Coca-Cola Hellenic, he said.