Dive Brief:
- Coca-Cola Co. announced letters of intent with two of its U.S. bottlers, Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated and Clark Beverage Group, to grant additional expanded territories to both.
- The move is part of an acceleration of the company's 21st Century Beverage Partnership Model, which it is implementing in the U.S.
- Sandy Douglas, president of Coca-Cola North America, described the project as "a more agile, modern, customer-focused beverage partnership model," according to a press release.
Dive Insight:
Coca-Cola has been undergoing several changes to improve its performance both in the U.S. and across the globe.
This includes new marketing initiatives like the relaunch of the Share a Coke campaign, a partnership with Keurig Kold to potentially get soft drinks back into consumers' homes, and focusing on ready-to-drink tea as a supplemental market for lagging soda sales. Never one to be left behind in beverage trends, Coca-Cola continues to instead attempt to be a game-changer in various aspects of operations.