Tuesday 31 August 2010
- Culled from The PunchThe Chairman, Seven- Up Bottling Company, Mr. Faysal
El-Khalil, has said that the beverage company‘s market capitalisation has hit
N25bn. He said the company was also controlling 40 per cent share of the
beverage industry in the country.El-Khalil, who disclosed these at a media briefing in
Lagos on Monday, to announce the company‘s 50 years of existence, said the
company had grown significantly in its 50 years of existence and had
transformed itself from a privately-owned company into a company whose shares
were traded on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.He added that the company had added tremendous value to
its shareholders, saying that the company along with the country was entering a
new phase full of optimism and vigour.Kahlil said, to celebrate the companys 50 years
existence, SBC had embarked on a number of initiatives that would both delight
the customers and uplift them to heights never imagined.He said the Lagos State Government would also be honoured
for approaching the private sector to contribute to the development of the
state. According to him, SBC has introduced a business school
scholarship to sponsor one selected student every year to attend a two-year
Masters in Business Administration programme in partnership with Harvard
Business School, with all expense paid for the entire period of the study.He said another initiative, which was a clear
demonstration of the company‘s commitment to Nigeria, was its contribution to
developing talented footballers in the Pepsi Football Academy, which had over
20 centers in the country with professional coaches.El-Khalil said some of the best trained footballers would
be selected from the academy to join the PFA on the international tournaments
for the U-16, where those selected would match skills with international
football clubs in Africa.