Coca-Cola Enterprises swung to fourth-quarter volume as volume grew

ATLANTA - Coca-Cola Enterprises Incorporated, the largest bottler of Coca-Cola beverages, said day it swung to a profit in the fourth quarter on steady volume growth. <br> <br> The Atlanta-based company reported net income of $78 million, or 17 cents a share, compared with a net loss of $36 million, or eight cents a share, a year earlier. <br> <br> On a pro forma basis, which excludes a reduction in income taxes, Coca-Cola Enterprises said earnings were $62 million, or 13 cents a share. Analysts had expected earnings, excluding items, of 12 cents a share, according to Thomson First Call. <br> <br> Revenue climbed 7.7 percent to $4.25 billion from $3.94 billion. <br> <br> Consolidated volume, a performance measure in the soft-drink industry, grew 2.5 percent, with a two percent increase in North America and a 5.5 percent increase in Europe. <br> <br> Coca-Cola Company owns about 40 percent of Coca-Cola Enterprises. The bottler sells about 80 percent of Coke&#39;s bottle and can volume in North America, and is the sole licensed bottler for Coke&#39;s products in Belgium, France, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Monaco and the Netherlands.

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