Junior Bridgeman Is Newest Coca-Cola Bottler Others Expand Territories Join Forces To Create Technology Platform

Ulysses "Junior" Bridgeman

The Coca-Cola system's newest bottler is led by Ulysses "Junior" Bridgeman, founder of a Louisville, KY-based Manna Inc. Bridgeman is a former National Basketball Association player who first established his business by purchasing three Wendy's franchises while he was still playing basketball. Bridgeman retired from the NBA in 1987 and since grew his restaurant portfolio. He is in the process of divesting those holdings, which include Wendy's and Chili's franchises, to focus on business in the Coca-Cola system.

Bridgeman, who has a reported net worth of $400 million, has signed a letter of intent to acquire territory from Coca-Cola in Missouri, Illinois, Kansas and Nebraska, including the cities of St. Louis and Kansas City. He will also acquire a production facility in Lenexa, KS. Justin Bridgeman, one of Junior Bridgeman's sons, will join him in leading the company.

The new bottling company will become just the third new, independent Coca-Cola bottler in recent decades. The others are Great Lakes Coca-Cola Distribution LLC and Coca-Cola Beverages Florida LLC.

Separately, Coca-Cola of Northern New England, which has been part of the Coca-Cola system since 1977, has signed a letter of intent to take on additional territory from Coca-Cola Co.

Bedford, NH-based CCNNE expects to acquire territory throughout New England. The territory covers several major cities, including Boston, Providence, RI, and Hartford, CT. CCNNE will acquire production facilities in Needham Heights, MA, and Hartford.

Coca-Cola also announced four other new letters of intent. Corinth Coca-Cola Bottling Works Inc. (Corinth, MS) will acquire additional territory in Missouri and Arkansas. Coca-Cola of Durango-Farmington (Durango, CO) plans to acquire territory in Gallup, NM.

Additionally, Coca-Cola Beverages Florida (Tampa) will acquire production facilities in the Florida cities of Hollywood, Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa.

Great Lakes Coca-Cola Distribution LLC (Rosemont, IL) will acquire production facilities in Alsip and Niles, IL, Detroit and Grand Rapids, MI, Eagan, MN, and Milwaukee.

The company has also closed deals with four companies. Chesterman Co. (Sioux City, IA) has acquired territory in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. Chesterman has also sold territory in Macomb, IL, to the Coca-Cola Refreshments unit of Coca-Cola Co. Clark Beverage Group Inc. (Starkville, MS) has acquired territory in Greenwood and Jackson, MS. Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated (Charlotte, NC) has acquired three distribution centers in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Virginia.

Coca-Cola Bottling Co. United (Birmingham, AL) has acquired territory in New Orleans and New Iberia, LA, along with a production facility in New Orleans.

Coca-Cola Co. also announced that six bottlers have formed an information technology services company called CONA Services. Its service platform, called Coke One North America, or CONA, provides a common set of processes, data standards, manufacturing and customer solutions for the Coca-Cola bottling system in the United States.

Reinhard Meister, who has 20 years of experience in the bottling system, has been named chief executive of CONA Services. The board of directors includes representatives from the six owners of the company: Coca-Cola Beverages Florida LLC, Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated, Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, Coca-Cola Refreshments, Great Lakes Coca-Cola Distribution LLC and Swire Coca-Cola USA.

Coca-Cola Co. began working with its bottling partners a decade ago on plans to develop a model that evolves the system to serve the changing customer and consumer landscape, with a focus on creating stronger system alignment. A critical step was the company's acquisition of the North American territories of Coca-Cola Enterprises in 2010. Since that deal closed, Coke has accelerated the implementation of the new model by strategically addressing the bottling system, customer service, product supply and a common information technology platform.

Ultimately, the Coca-Cola system in North America will be comprised of economically aligned bottling partners that have the capability to serve major customers, coupled with the ability to maintain strong, local ties across diverse markets in the United States and Canada.

So far, the company has reached definitive agreements or signed letters of intent to refranchise territories that account for approximately 50% of bottler-delivered distribution volume in the U.S.