The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is taking a major leap into the coffee world, reaching a definitive agreement to buy Costa Limited, the world's second biggest coffee chain, from parent company Whitbread PLC for $5.1 billion.
The Atlanta-based beverage giant will acquire all issued and outstanding shares of Costa Limited, a Whitbread subsidiary that contains all the existing operating businesses of Costa.
Costa, founded in London in 1971, is a staple in the United Kingdom and has a growing footprint…
