Baton Rouge Coca-Cola Bottling Company Announces the Expansion of the West Region into Greater New Orleans and New Iberia, Louisiana

Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED Announces Close of Transaction With The Coca-Cola Company for the Greater New Orleans and New Iberia Coca-Cola Territories

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, April 1, 2016 – Baton Rouge Coca-Cola Bottling Company, headquarters for the West Region of Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED, Inc. (“Coca-Cola UNITED”), announced today, the expansion of its West Region operations into the Greater New Orleans and New Iberia Coca-Cola territories in Louisiana.

This transaction follows Coca-Cola UNITED’s announcement in which it signed Letters of Intent with The Coca-Cola Company for the acquisition of eight Coca-Cola territories in the states of Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi.  Collectively, consistent with previous acquisitions, all parties are committed to a smooth transition with minimal disruption for Coca-Cola associates, consumers and customers.

“It is with great enthusiasm that we welcome the Greater New Orleans and New Iberia Coca-Cola territories into the West Region of our Coca-Cola UNITED family,” said Paul Favaron, Vice President, West Region, Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED, Inc. “Coca-Cola has a long history in South Louisiana and is an important part of the community.  As I have become familiar with our new UNITED family members, I am impressed with their capabilities and dedication to their local customers and communities. To support their work and our locally focused business model, we will be adding 92 new local jobs between the Greater New Orleans and New Iberia markets. Collectively, we have 850 Coca-Cola associates serving these areas.  We are very optimistic about the future of Coca-Cola UNITED in the West Region.”

Continuing to build more rational, contiguous operating territories, today’s announcement marks significant progress between The Coca-Cola Company and Coca-Cola UNITED toward implementation of the 21^st Century Beverage Partnership Model. This progress, coupled with Coca-Cola UNITED’s high standards of excellent customer service, strong local relationships and community engagement, further enables these local Coca-Cola bottlers to continue making a positive impact in markets where they live and work.

The local Coca-Cola Bottlers in the Greater New Orleans and New Iberia territories began operations as divisions of Coca-Cola UNITED March 31, 2016. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

About Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED, Inc.:

Founded in 1902 and headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED, Inc. is the third largest bottler of Coca-Cola products in the United States and the second largest privately held Coca-Cola bottler employing more than 5,700 employees. Coca-Cola UNITED currently refreshes customers, consumers and communities in 35 territories across 7 southeastern states with sparkling and still brands for every occasion.  Engaged principally in the production, marketing and distribution of Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Sprite, Fanta, Dasani water, POWERADE, vitaminwater and many more under exclusive franchise agreements with The Coca-Cola Company and other soft drink manufacturers.

With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, Coca-Cola UNITED is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we live and work. For more information, visit us at www.cocacolaunited.com.

Contacts:

Melanie Clark
Director of Marketing, West Region
melanieclark@ccbcu.com
C: 225-278-9172
O: 225-297-5316

Carrie Crane
Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED, Inc.
pamelaneal@ccbcu.com
O: 205-849-4683
C: 205-212-4068