Letter of Intent Includes Territories in Washington, Oregon and Idaho
Agreement with Swire is Another Step in Ongoing Refranchising
Initiative at Coca-Cola
The Coca-Cola Company today announced that it plans to grant additional
territories to Swire Coca-Cola, USA, including the cities of Seattle,
Spokane, Wash., Portland, Ore., and a wide area of the Pacific Northwest.
Swire Coca-Cola, USA, a subsidiary of Swire Pacific Limited’s Beverages
Division, has signed a letter of intent with The Coca-Cola Company for
Swire to expand its existing territories in the United States to include
parts of Washington, Idaho and Oregon and to acquire cold-fill
production facilities in Bellevue, Wash., near Seattle, and in
Wilsonville, Ore., near Portland.
The letter of intent is part of Coca-Cola North America’s ongoing and
accelerated implementation of a 21st Century Beverage
Partnership Model, a broad initiative aimed at building on system
capabilities to sustain success.
“We are delighted to sign this letter of intent with The Coca-Cola
Company,” said Jack Pelo, President and CEO, Swire Coca-Cola, USA. “This
latest grant of additional territory rights, following on from the
agreements to expand our territories in Colorado and Arizona,
underscores the important role Swire is playing in The Coca-Cola
Company’s refranchising initiatives in North America.”
“Swire is a great partner, and we are excited at this proposed further
expansion of their U.S. territories in the Coca-Cola system,” said J.
Alexander “Sandy” Douglas Jr., President, Coca-Cola North America.
“We’re also pleased that the overall refranchising process is going very
well in North America.”
The Company has also reached a Definitive Agreement with Great Lakes
Coca-Cola Distribution, L.L.C., a Reyes Holdings company based in
Rosemont, Ill., for additional territories in Wisconsin, Minnesota,
Illinois, Michigan and Iowa. A letter of intent for these territories
was previously announced.
The Coca-Cola Company began working with its bottling partners a decade
ago on plans to develop a model that evolves the system to serve the
changing customer and consumer landscape, with a focus on creating
stronger system alignment. A critical step was the Company’s acquisition
of the North American territories of Coca-Cola Enterprises in 2010.
In the five years since the deal was closed, The Coca-Cola Company has
accelerated the implementation of the new model by strategically
addressing the bottling system, customer service, product supply and a
common information technology platform.
Ultimately, the Coca-Cola system in North America will be comprised of
economically aligned bottling partners that have the capability to serve
major customers, coupled with the ability to maintain strong, local ties
across diverse markets in the United States and Canada.
So far, the Company has reached definitive agreements or signed letters
of intent to refranchise territories that account for approximately 45%
of bottler-delivered distribution volume in the United States.
The new transactions announced today are subject to The Coca-Cola
Company and Swire Coca-Cola, USA reaching definitive agreements. The
parties are committed to working together to implement a smooth
transition with minimal disruption for customers, consumers and system
associates. Financial terms are not being disclosed.
About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage
company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still
brands. Led by Coca-Cola, one of the world's most valuable and
recognizable brands, our Company's portfolio features 20 billion-dollar
brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater,
Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are
the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and
juices and juice drinks. Through the world's largest beverage
distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our
beverages at a rate of 1.9 billion servings a day. With an enduring
commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused
on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active,
healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our
associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities
where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the
world's top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system
associates. For more information, visit Coca-Cola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com,
follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo, visit our blog,
Coca-Cola Unbottled, at www.coca-colablog.com
or find us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/the-coca-cola-company.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160219005322/en/
Copyright Business Wire 2016