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...
Several recent reports by Credit Suisse Analyst Lauren Silberman and her team have outlined sales trends for the US restaurant sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is an important sales channel for fountain and packaged beverages. The following are highlights from the reports...
In late April, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Keurig Dr Pepper reported first-quarter earnings. Those results, however, were less interesting that the outlook for the second quarter and the rest of the year. Below is a synopsis, culled by BD from earnings call transcripts, of actions the three companies are taking to adjust to market conditions during the crisis.
As April came to a close amid the COVID-19 crisis, BD spoke to beverage bottlers about their expectations for the rest of the year. Here are a few observations based on those discussions...
Bottlers Fight Back Against Single-Serve CSD Declines
May 6, 2020
Carbonated soft drink bottlers are facing lower margins due to a shift away from immediate consumption channels and packages such as 20-oz PET bottles to future consumption channels and packages such as 12-packs of 12-oz cans. The margin squeeze is a key reason for furloughs and job cuts at...
Also Closes $3.85 Billion Rockstar Energy Acquisition
April 28, 2020
PepsiCo just announced an exclusive agreement to distribute Bang Energy in the US. The deal, effective immediately, comes as PepsiCo also has closed the $3.85 billion acquisition of Rockstar Energy. Terms of the agreement with Bang owner VPX Pharmaceuticals...
Analysts at Goldman Sachs, led by Bonnie Herzog, surveyed retail and wholesale contacts representing 33,000 US convenience & gas store locations, which represents about a fifth of that retail channel. Here are some of their findings:
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