Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) has sold its bottling site in Thebarton, South Australia, which closed in December last year.
The Port Road plant, which was once the sole Australian bottler for Powerade and Jim Beam, has been sold to Australasian Property Developments Pty Ltd, which plans to turn the site into office and warehousing space and, subsequently, residential housing.
Matt Toohey, general manager of property at Amatil Group, said that a smaller adjoining site had been sold to industrial supplier Jetwave, and a third sold to Anglicare South Australia in 2018.
“We operated from Thebarton for 66 years and produced more than 10 billion bottles right here. This site has been a huge part of Adelaide’s working history, and we’re happy it will now be reactivated to go on supporting commercial, industrial and construction jobs.
“We’re keeping our own 170-strong South Australian team in Salisbury, country SA, and at our new headquarters in Stirling Street Thebarton.
“And as we said last year, we’re proud to have been a big part of South Australia’s history and equally proud to be a part of its future,” he said.
CCA identified the site as “no longer suitable for modernisation” in 2017, as it was constrained by adjoining developments and housing. Some of its equipment was relocated to other sites including Papua New Guinea, Richlands, and Moorabbin.
Over its lifespan from 1952 to 2018, the Thebarton plant produced more than 580 million cases of drinks, translating to around six billion litres of beverages.
