US: Pepsi Bottling Group acquires bottler

By just-drinks.com editorial team | 8 June 2009

Pepsi Bottling Group has acquired Texas-based soft drinks bottler Ab-Tex Beverage, its third bottler in less than two months.

Pepsi Bottling Group said today (8 June) that it has signed a letter of intent to acquire Ab-Tex Beverage, which employs around 450 people.

Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

The timing of the move places more pressure on PepsiCo to raise its takeover bid for Pepsi Bottling Group. The bottler used a conference call with analysts last week to outline why PepsiCo's combined US$6bn bid for both it and PepsiAmericas is too low.

In the last two months, Pepsi Bottling Group has also signed deals to buy two other provincial bottlers, Pepsi-Cola Bottlers for the Merrimack Valley and Better Beverages.

"As the pace of bottler consolidation in the US accelerates, we will continue to capitalise on opportunities to expand our business," said Pepsi Bottling Group chairman and CEO Eric Foss today.

Sectors: Soft drinks

Companies: Pepsi Bottling, PepsiCo, PepsiAmericas