Coca-Cola is close to buying the North American operations of its largest bottler, Coca-Cola Enterprises, for between $13-15bn, in a dramatic reversal of a strategy the soft-drink maker had embraced for more than 20 years.
Coke’s possible reunion with CCE, which went public in 1986, mirrors the steps PepsiCo took last year to snap up its largest bottlers. And like PepsiCo’s deals with Pepsi Bottling Group and Pepsi Americas, the CCE acquisition would grant Coke greater flexibility and control in how it distributes sodas and non-carbonated beverages to different retail customers.
Coke’s US bottlers are handling an increasingly broad range of small brands, including tea, juices and enhanced water, as well as its established soda brands.
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