Dr Pepper Snapple seeks to acquire Davis Beverage Group, Davis Bottling Co.
Move would nearly double DPS’s company-owned distribution in Pa., add glass package manufacturing capabilities
Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS), Plano, Texas, signed a non-binding letter of intent to acquire the business assets of Davis Beverage Group and Davis Bottling Co. If completed, the acquisition would include most of Davis’ direct-store-delivery territory in Pennsylvania and a portion of its New Jersey territory as well as its production and distribution facilities, delivery vehicles, vending equipment and other assets.
Based in Bethlehem, Pa., Davis Beverage Group distributes a wide range of DPS’s brands —including 7UP, Snapple, A&W, Canada Dry and Sunkist, among others — to a 42-county territory covering most of the eastern half of Pennsylvania, excluding the Philadelphia area, and western and central New Jersey. Davis also carries a number of other non-carbonated products, including several third-party brands that already have significant distribution agreements with DPS such as Bai Brands’ Bai5, Fiji Water Co.’s Fiji, All Market Inc.’s Vita Coco and Neuro drinks’ Neuro.