Coca-Cola saw fourth-quarter profits rise by 55%, as growth in emerging markets such as China and India contributed to a 5% hike in overall volumes.

Volumes rose by almost a third (29%) in China, by 20% in India and by 7% in Latin America, but fell slightly in the soft drinks giant’s North American heartland.

However, low-calorie variant Coca-Cola Zero notched up double-digit volume growth for the period.

Full-year profits increased by 18% to $6.82bn, but overall sales slipped to $31bn – down from $31.94bn the previous year.

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China to become world’s biggest grocery market (10 February 2010)