Britvic has signed a new and exclusive 20-year franchise bottling agreement with PepsiCo for the production, distribution, marketing and sales of its carbonated soft drinks brands in Great Britain.
The agreement extends the companies’ existing relationship, which started in 1987, to 31 December 2040 and now includes the Rockstar energy brand. From 1 November, Britvic will take responsibility for the Rockstar brand – which PepsiCo agreed to acquire in March – and the energy drink will join other brands such as Pepsi, 7UP and Mountain Dew.
“I am delighted that we have formally extended our relationship with PepsiCo in Great Britain for a further 20 years. The powerful combination of the Britvic-owned and PepsiCo portfolio offers customers and consumers a broad range of great-tasting, trusted brands for any occasion. We are excited to add Rockstar to our offering and look forward to working together to grow the brand,” said Simon Litherland, CEO of Britvic.
In addition, Britvic has also announced that all its plastic bottles in Great Britain will be made entirely from 100% recycled plastic (rPET) by the end of 2022. The commitment – which applies to both Britvic and PepsiCo brands – is three years earlier than originally planned and ahead of the previous target of 50%. The news comes after Britvic announced its long-term agreement with Esterform Packaging for the supply of rPET.
Silviu Popovici, CEO PepsiCo Europe, added: “We are very pleased to announce this new and enhanced exclusive bottling appointment with Britvic in Great Britain, as well as further strengthening our portfolio with the exciting addition of Rockstar. This decision was based on our history of sustained strong performance in the market, backed by Britvic’s ongoing commitment to significantly invest behind our brands.
“More importantly, our shared values have led to sustainability forming an integral part of this new agreement, which includes our latest mutual commitment to ensure that all of our bottles are made from 100% recycled PET by the end of 2022. This is in support of PepsiCo and Britvic’s vision of creating a circular economy on plastic and building a world where plastics need never become waste.”
Earlier this month, Britvic announced the approval by the French Competition Authority in July for the sale of its juice assets in France to Refresco, after the deal was originally announced in November last year.
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