By Angela Chen
Coca-Cola Company said Wednesday that it will expand its
partnership with bottlers Clark Beverage Group and Coca-Cola
Bottling Co. as part of its refranchising efforts.
Clark will assume markets in Mississippi, while Coca-Cola
Bottling will assume markets in states such as Delaware, Illinois,
Indiana and West Virginia.
Coca-Cola North America President Sandy Douglas said that the
agreement "reinforces our successful efforts to move forward with
our refranchising plans in the U.S."
Coke said in October it would restructure its North American
manufacturing and speed up the refranchising of its distribution.
It said it plans to refranchise the majority of its distribution by
the end of 2017, after saying in February it could take until
2020.
The beverage company--which also includes brands such as Sprite
soda and Minute Maid orange juice--last month posted
better-than-expected profit and revenue, as beverage volumes inched
up 1% during the first three months of the year.
Write to Angela Chen at angela.chen@dowjones.com
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