New Coca-Cola bottler Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages has today announced it has closed a deal to acquire territory from The Coca-Cola Company in the New York area.
The agreement comes five months after The Coca-Cola Company announced a letter of intent with the bottling partner as part of a broader plan to refranchise its operations in North America.
Liberty Coca-Cola officially opened its doors today, and welcomes more than 4,600 associates to its family. The new bottler’s areas of service include the cities of Philadelphia and New York, part of Delaware, the state of New Jersey, Long Island, parts of Hudson Valley (New York), and Fairfield County (Connecticut).
The company will operate four production facilities and ten distribution centres throughout the region.
Coca-Cola Refreshments executives Paul Mulligan and Fran McGorry are at the helm of the new venture, and bring a combined 55 years of experience from the company.
Over the past 20 years, Mulligan has led the charge overseas from Europe to Latin America and most recently with Coca-Cola Refreshments in the US. McGorry has been president of the Tri-State Metro Operating Unit of Coca-Cola Refreshments for the last two years.
“This is a team that truly believes in the power of our brands and world-class portfolio execution,” said Sandy Douglas, president of Coca-Cola North America.
“Winning in one of the nation’s biggest and most complex markets is mission critical, and Paul Mulligan, Fran McGorry and their tri-state team are the perfect people to make it happen for this newly established bottling partner.”
Co-owner of Liberty Coca-Cola Fran McGorry added: “I have been part of the Coca-Cola family for 30 years, and achieving this dream of localising the business not only for a brand I love, but in a market that I have grown up in, makes it all the more special.
“We are excited to return to our local roots and be part of the fabric of the communities that we serve.”
The closing of Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages is among the final transactions to complete The Coca-Cola Company’s process of refranchising all of its US bottling territories.
The company said that its bottling system in North America now will be comprised of “economically aligned partners that are able to serve major customers while maintaining strong, local ties throughout diverse communities across the country”.
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