ABC and the Packaged Non-Carbonated Soft Drinks Industry in Kuwait and the GCC Region in 2009

The case describes the turnaround of the Kuwaiti company ABC from a moribund bottler of carbonated drinks for Canada Dry to a successful independent competitor in the market for juices and bottled water. The case narrates the turnaround, how ABC decided upon the scope of its activities, how it expanded its product and geographic scope, the business model of ABC, the markets in which it competes and the challenges it faces in 2009.

The case allows a fact-based business strategy analysis of the packaged non-carbonated drinks industry in Kuwait and the GCC region, the competition, and the ABC company. The focus is on how ABC accomplished the turnaround, how it built a new business model in the process, how it expanded in different countries and product markets, and the risks it was forced to take. The case allows an analysis of the entrepreneurial decisions of ABC management and the decisions it needs to take in 2009 to determine whether and how it will move from a niche position to becoming a full-fledged international competitor.