Industry Issues
PBG to Acquire Pepsi Charlotte
The Pepsi Bottling Group,
Somers, N.Y., will acquire Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of Charlotte, the
ninth-largest Pepsi bottler in the United States, serving eight counties in
North Carolina. Led by Dale Halton, Pepsi Charlotte has been a family-owned
and operated company for 100 years.
“We are very excited to welcome Pepsi Charlotte
to the PBG family,” said Chief Executive Officer John Cahill.
“Contiguous to PBG’s existing territory, this is a growing
business located in an area where the population is on the rise. Dale
Halton has operated this company for the past 25 years in the tradition of
her grandparents’ original vision. She has fostered a culture of
attentive customer service and strong ties to the local
community.”
Pepsi Charlotte’s operations include a
manufacturing plant and warehouse in Charlotte, and warehouses in
Cherryville and Midland, N.C. The transaction is expected to close during
the fourth quarter of the year. BI
Constellation ends race for Allied Domecq
Constellation Brands
announced last month that it will not attempt to acquire Allied Domecq,
making it likely that Pernod Ricard and Fortune Brands will go forward with
plans to buy the company. “Simply put, careful consideration and
evaluation of the details following due diligence did not identify
sufficient value for submitting an offer,” said Constellation Chief
Executive Officer Richard Sands in a statement.
Constellation led a beverage company/financial
consortium that included Brown Forman Corp., Lion Capital and The
Blackstone Group for a potential counterbid to the one put forward by
Pernod Ricard and Fortune Brands. BI
Coca-Cola, Arizona in talks
The Coca-Cola Co. is
rumored to be in talks with Arizona Beverages that could lead to a
distribution agreement or full acquisition. The companies made no public
comment, but Coca-Cola recently penned an agreement to distribute Rockstar
Energy Drink in order to boost its energy drink presence. The company
already has a ready-to-drink tea partnership with Nestlé. BI
Tropicana to drop health claim
The Federal Trade
Commission and PepsiCo have settled charges over the company’s claim
that its Tropicana Heart Healthy Orange Juice can lower blood pressure and
cholesterol levels. The FTC argued the claims, which were part of print and
television ads, were unsubstantiated and not backed up by “competent
and reliable scientific evidence.” PepsiCo has said the settlement is
not an admission of a law violation and it will continue to promote the
product as part of a healthy diet. BI
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