Coca-Cola Consolidated said it will begin construction this month on a $55 million, 400,000-square-foot automated warehouse and distribution center in the Indianapolis suburb of Whitestown. That will free up space

Starting this weekend, Monster Beverages will be free to sell everything from soft drinks to bottled waters outside the Coke system anywhere in the world, including in the US. The contractual waypoint has set off speculation...

Annually, BD publishes estimated volume and value sales data for US liquid refreshment beverages (LRB) and carbonated soft drinks (CSD). The data included in this special issue estimates beverage consumption for all measured and unmeasured channels, including packaged retail, fountain and vending. Data for juice, tea, coffee and dairy categories focus on single-serve, direct-store-delivered beverages and generally do not include warehouse-delivered or refrigerated products by Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Keurig Dr Pepper. CSD estimates in this report include traditional soft drinks and energy drinks, which are both carbonated and share similar manufacturing and distribution methods. The fountain channel includes everything from restaurants, such as McDonald’s and Taco Bell, to sports venues.

Analysts at Alliance Bernstein published a May 15 report predicting hotel trends in the post-COVID-19 era. Emerging technological trends are likely to accelerate and become fixtures of the hotel experience, the analysts predict. In the short-term, social distancing and safety measures will pervade...

A team that includes a former advertising contractor for Beverage Partners Worldwide and a former designer for Coca-Cola is looking to pull health-conscious consumers into the world of soda pop. United Sodas of America launched last week with all the attributes of a modern, niche brand. The following Q&A with Zupan has been edited for clarity and space:

Carbonated soft drink demand in the US convenience retail channel grew during the week ending May 3 for the first time since early March, according to data from IRI. The data in the first table for the week ending May 3 is excerpted from a new CPG Demand Index produced by IRI. The data in the second table is excerpted from IRI’s companion CPG Inflation Tracker for the same week ending May 3...

PepsiCo has pushed deeper into ecommerce with two new direct-to-consumer websites selling core brands from Doritos to Gatorade. The websites are the product of a dedicated PepsiCo operating team of tech experts in Manhattan that are chasing consumer demand for online convenience. Industry watchers and PepsiCo bottlers are privately asking whether PepsiCo’s retail partners such as Walmart will view the direct-to-consumer initiative as a competitive threat. In addition, it appears PepsiCo won’t owe invasion fees to the company’s independent bottlers for products sold direct to consumers, which could create tension...

On April 28, PepsiCo announced an exclusive agreement with Vital Pharmaceuticals to distribute Bang Energy in the US (BD News Alert 4/28/20). The alliance gives PepsiCo access to a brand that has surpassed Rockstar as the third largest energy drink, and to a performance energy category that has attracted new competitors including...