Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc., Plano, Texas, officially separated from Cadbury Schweppes and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the DPS symbol.

The company, which had 2007 full-year revenues of $5.7 billion, includes a lineup of carbonated and non-carbonated soft drinks, juices and drink mixers, as well as a bottling division that reaches approximately two-thirds of the United States. DPS brands include Dr Pepper, 7 UP, Snapple, Mott's, A&W, Sunkist, Hawaiian Punch, Canada Dry, Schweppes, RC Cola, Diet Rite, Squirt, Penafiel, Yoo-hoo, Rose's, Clamato and Mr & Mrs T mixers.

"Our CSD portfolio continues to grow and our non-carbonated brands have regained momentum,” said Larry Young, president and chief executive officer of the newly spun-off company. “We've also made strategic bottling and distributing acquisitions that are improving our capabilities and protecting the equity of our brands. The success we're realizing with today's listing has been a lengthy process and we're looking forward to solely focusing on the beverage business.”

During a recent analyst meeting, DPS said it expects growth to come from demand for flavored soft drinks and functional products. The company recently added new Sunkist, A&W, Dr Pepper and Canada Dry flavors, as well as functional varieties to its Mott’s brand. It also plans to roll out new energy drinks as well as Snapple PET packaging this quarter. In addition, it announced it will move its R&D operations to its Plano headquarters to more closely align with marketing, and it says it will open a pilot plant adjacent to its Irving, Texas, manufacturing facility.