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PepsiCo Clears Path for Carlsberg's Potential Britvic Acquisition Carlsberg Group's pursuit of Britvic plc has gained new momentum as PepsiCo has agreed to waive a crucial change-of-control clause. This development removes a significant barrier to the Danish brewer's potential takeover of the British soft drinks company. Carlsberg's acquisition of Britvic, known for bottling and distributing PepsiCo brands in the UK and Ireland, could be back on track. Britvic recently rejected two takeover bids from Carlsberg, the latest valuing the company at £3.2 billion, or 1,250 pence per share—a 7.6% premium on Britvic's share price as of 21st June. Despite these rejections, Carlsberg has not abandoned its acquisition ambitions. In a statement issued on 24th June, Carlsberg confirmed that PepsiCo had agreed to waive the change-of-control clause in its bottling contracts with Britvic. This clause previously allowed PepsiCo to terminate its bottling agreement with Britvic if the company were acquired, making Britvic a less attractive acquisition target. “This waiver will come into effect should an acquisition of Britvic by Carlsberg, which has the recommendation of Britvic’s board, proceed to completion”, a Carlsberg spokesman said. Britvic, which bottles PepsiCo drinks under license in the UK, also owns popular brands such as Robinsons, R. White’s, and J2O. Carlsberg's spokesman also noted that "Carlsberg is considering its position. There can be no certainty that any offer will be made. A further announcement will be made as appropriate." Britvic's board remains confident in the company's future prospects, affirming that any new proposals will be assessed on their merits. PepsiCo's agreement to waive the change-of-control clause potentially smooths the path for Carlsberg, which has until 19th July to make a formal offer or walk away. Analysts suggest that this takeover could unlock significant synergies for Carlsberg, particularly in the UK market, where it remains subscale. Additionally, it would help diversify Carlsberg's portfolio beyond beer into other beverage categories like cider, hard seltzers, and ready-to-drink cocktails. Despite Britvic’s initial rejections, Carlsberg is reportedly considering a third bid. The ongoing speculation and takeover attempts have positively impacted Britvic's stock, which has surged by around 40% since the start of the year. Carlsberg's interest in Britvic aligns with its strategy to expand beyond traditional beer offerings, responding to shifting consumer preferences towards spirits and non-alcoholic beverages. With PepsiCo's bottling clause waived, Carlsberg's potential acquisition of Britvic could significantly shift the beverage industry landscape.

𝖵𝗂𝗌𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗈𝖿 𝖺 𝗉𝖺𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗅𝖾𝗌𝗌 𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗉𝖿𝗅𝗈𝗈𝗋 Year on year we are faced with increase in complexity and pressure on our People, our Organization, our Planet. The need to #change #how we work is crucial to sustain what we have and be better. One of the benefits of committing to Operational Excellence is the need to win every day and offer better value for our people, our customers, our consumers. To achieve that we need to have the best visibility of our processes and our equipment. We need to provide all the necessary tools and know-how to our People. 🧠🦾⚙ An element that needs to change is inefficiencies and losses we introduced with 🅟🅐🅟🅔🅡 long time ago when we didn't know better. Now we do. None of our People today using digital standards would go back to paper. Fact. 💯 #Digitizing and #connecting our Industrial environment, integrating it with our Business environment will unlock a 𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚 of opportunities for us. It's quite a long journey we're on. #worldclass #organization

Last week, Carlsberg (🍺) agreed to buy Britvic (🧃) for £3.3 billion. But a single line in a contract with PepsiCo (🥤) nearly tanked the whole deal. Let me explain. People didn’t understand why Carlsberg (known for, well… beer) wanted to buy Britvic (known for Fruit Shoot). Young people *are* drinking less alcohol nowadays — so maybe Carlsberg wants to diversify. But diversify into Robinsons orange squash? Maybe... I'm not sure. Some people think the real reason Carlsberg wanted to buy Britvic was this: Britvic holds the exclusive license to make PepsiCo products in the UK and Ireland. If you're in the UK and you buy Pepsi, 7up, Mountain Dew or Lipton Ice Tea, Britvic made it. Now, that’s a *super* valuable contract for Britvic. But here's the issue — the agreement between Britvic and PepsiCo contains a "change of control” clause. This is how the clause works: if Britvic is bought by another company and undergoes a significant change in ownership (or “change of control”) then PepsiCo can terminate the contract. Why does this clause exist? It’s to protect PepsiCo — if a company it doesn’t trust takes over Britvic, PepsiCo might not have confidence in the new owner maintaining the quality it expects. So, if Britvic were to get bought, the clause gives PepsiCo the option to leave the agreement and find a new UK partner. So, technically, if Carlsberg buys the company, PepsiCo can leave. And that’s why PepsiCo was key to this deal — unless they agreed to keep the contract going with Carlsberg as the new owner, Carlsberg was *never* going to do the deal. So what ended up happening? Carlsberg convinced PepsiCo to waive their right to terminate the agreement! 🎉 PepsiCo agreed not to leave, Carlsberg made a £3.3 billion offer, and Britvic accepted it. In any acquisition, the buyer’s lawyers spend ages checking the target company’s big contracts for “change of control” provisions. Now you know why they’re so important. Found this post interesting? 💌 Sign up for LittleLaw (it's free): https://lnkd.in/e_PbNmmm

𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁? Not a Guinness ad but the last & final episode in the BRITVIC-CARLSBERG saga Time will tell if the taste (synergies) will out-weight the calories (the acquisition price) In the meantime, the deal has far reaching implications for competitors starting with HEINEKEN & ABINBEV but also for COCA-COLA (BRITVIC & CARLSBERG are both PEPSICO bottlers). The overall will only increase further the competition intensity in UK, a strategic market on Beer & NARTD This transaction is the last illustration of the prediction we made on M&A at the beginning of the year: We expected an acceleration of M&A transactions value in the FMCG industry in 2024 driven by: Mid-size deals (0.5-5bn$ EV) on same categories/ markets fueled by GTM synergies as FMCG companies refocus on what works best in terms of M&A ROI over the last decade This deal is exactly that More in our last M&A publications: i) 2012-2022 FMCG M&A winners & losers: https://lnkd.in/et3dmBCi ii) 2023 FMCG M&A in review: https://lnkd.in/eB7-BVsF iii) 2024 Q1 M&A in review: https://lnkd.in/e7cNUq66 Exciting year ahead for M&A 𝗧𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀, 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝘀 & 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗠𝗖𝗚 𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿: https://lnkd.in/ea4gy65y #fmcg #cpg PepsiCo The Coca-Cola Company Coca-Cola Europacific Partners The HEINEKEN Company AB InBev Diageo Pernod Ricard https://lnkd.in/e2TMXhTP

Starting a retail beer store at 22 was a leap driven by passion more than expertise. Reflecting on my journey from those early beginnings and that first acquisition, to building Steel City Beer Wholesalers from the ground up and steering it to a successful acquisition, I recognize each step as a profound learning opportunity. The journey was challenging, marked by learning to navigate the complex relationships between suppliers and distributors, mastering the financial aspects of business management, and discovering the critical role of resilience. I've come to realize that success in the beverage industry hinges not just on product quality but on a deep understanding of the market, partnership dynamics, and consumer needs. The insights I've gained aren't just theoretical knowledge but hard-won wisdom from dealing with every conceivable aspect of this industry. This unique perspective allows me to understand the challenges faced by beverage brands at a deep level—because I've lived those challenges myself, and worked tirelessly to find proven solutions. Today, I bring this wealth of experience to the table, not as a conventional consultant, but as someone who's been in the trenches and emerged with a deep, actionable understanding of what it takes to succeed in this competitive landscape. My mission now is to leverage this hands-on experience to help your beverage brand navigate its path more effectively. Let's work together to transform the insights from my journey into actionable strategies for your brand. With a foundation built on real-world experience, we can tackle your challenges with practical solutions that are proven to work. Your brand's success story is waiting to be written. Let's make it a reflection of strategic excellence and industry innovation. Shane Lohman President and Founder Five Star Beverage Group #BeverageIndustry #RealExperience #StrategicGrowth #HandsOnLearning #FiveStarBeverage #FiveStarJourney

Reflecting on my journey from opening a retail beer store at 22 year old to building and eventually selling Steel City Beer Wholesalers, it's clear every challenge was an invaluable lesson. I'm sharing my story not just as a tale of personal achievement, but as an invitation to explore how these hard-won insights can empower your beverage brand. From the trenches to triumph, my path has been anything but conventional. Let's connect and leverage these experiences to script your brand's success story. Excited for what lies ahead! #BeverageIndustry #Entrepreneurship #BrandGrowth #Consulting #SuccessStory

★ Coca-Cola announces sell-off of bottling ops :– → That's an interesting development! Coca-Cola's decision to sell off its bottling operations has been in the works for a while now, and it's finally happening. Here's a quick breakdown :– ★ What's being sold? ▪ Coca-Cola is currently divesting its asset-heavy bottling operations in various regions, including India and North America. ▪ This includes selling off bottling plants and transferring business operations to existing bottlers. ★ Why is Coca-Cola doing this? ▪ The company wants to streamline its business and focus on its core strengths, which are marketing, branding, and developing new beverages. ▪ Owning and managing bottling operations is capital-intensive and requires a different set of skills than what Coca-Cola excels at. ▪ By selling off these assets, Coca-Cola can free up resources to invest in other areas, such as digital marketing and R&D. ★ What are the potential impacts? ▪ The sale could lead to job losses in the bottling sector, particularly in regions where Coca-Cola is selling off its own plants. ▪ It could also change the dynamics of the beverage industry, as smaller bottlers become more powerful. ▪ However, it could also lead to increased efficiency and innovation, as bottlers compete to win Coca-Cola's business.

Why is Carlsberg chasing UK soft-drinks maker Britvic? Whilst we understand the urge to diversify (both category wise & geography wise), this move is not straightforward for many financial analysts considering: - the potential synergies (GTM scale to improve Carlsberg Group distant challenger position in UK & overall accessing a total beverage platform in UK), - the growth profile of Britvic plc over the recent years, - the difficulty to scale this asset internationally - the price tag (esp. considering Carlsberg EV & current debt ratio) Carlsberg stock price lost 8% since the announcement This deal is a testimony of the increasing appetite of the world largest FMCG companies to invest into mid-size M&A deals ($0.5-5bn) with the objective to increase their growth footprint. More will come Time will tell if this transaction ends up being a success Exciting times for M&A in the FMCG industry To read our latest publication on M&A in the FMCG industry: https://lnkd.in/dinWEqDn 𝗧𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀, 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝘀 & 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗠𝗖𝗚 𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿: https://lnkd.in/ea4gy65y #fmcg #cpg The Coca-Cola Company PepsiCo Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. The HEINEKEN Company AB InBev Diageo Pernod Ricard William Grant & Sons Campari Group https://lnkd.in/dzTWJVva

As part of a strategic supply chain transformation initiative, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits turned to Ryder to revamp its inbound transportation and implement RyderShare™, a leading edge visibility and collaborative logistics platform. The solution led to significant improvements in visibility, accountability, and efficiency throughout Southern Glazer’s supply chain. RyderShare™ has revolutionized Southern Glazer’s operations and collaboration with suppliers and carriers by offering real-time visibility. This case study showcases the power of a dynamic, solution-focused partnership and its delivery of continuous improvement in the beverage distribution industry. Check out the case study!

Strategic alliances in the food and beverage sector are formal partnerships between companies to combine resources, expertise, and market reach. These collaborations advance SDGs and solve customer-centric issues. Smaller startups benefit from scale and routes to market, while larger players enhance their portfolios with new, relevant brands and cleaner products. 📊 Implications: 🚀 Innovation: Accelerate the development of clean, nutritious foods. 🌿 Sustainability: Implement sustainable practices at scale. 🤝 Shared Value: Create shared value across supply chains. 📈 Benefits: ⚖️ Equality: Provide opportunities for small startups and ensure fair market access. 🍎 Food Security: Expand access to nutritious and affordable food options. ♻️ Sustainability: Promote sustainable practices and reduce environmental impact. 💡 Solving Customer-Centric Issues: 🥗 Cleaner Portfolios: Offer healthier and more affordable sustainable product options. 🌐 Market Expansion: Reach new customer segments with innovative products. 💎 Value Creation: Enhance brand reputation and customer loyalty Potential Partnerships: 🍸 Spirits & Premium Mixers (e.g., Diageo + Fever-Tree/ Double Dutch) 🍺 Beer & Non-Alcoholic Alternatives (e.g., AB InBev + Athletic Brewing) 🥤 Soft Drinks & Health Beverages (e.g., Coca-Cola + GT's Living Foods) ☕ Coffee & RTD Beverages (e.g., Starbucks + La Colombe) 🥜 Snacks & Plant-Based Foods (e.g., PepsiCo + Beyond Meat biltong/ jerky) 🍗 Plant-Based Chicken & Fast Food Chains (e.g., TiNDLE + McDonald's) Mobilising Actions: C-Suite: 🔍 Identify Partners: Align with partners that support SDG goals. 🧪 Focus on sustainable and nutritious products. 📊 Impact frameworks to measure and report on sustainability impacts. 📉 Strategic Pricing: Develop pricing strategies to make sustainable products affordable. Policymakers: 🏆 Offer incentives for sustainability-focused collaborations. 🧪 Regulatory Sandboxes: Facilitate innovation through flexible regulatory environments. 💰 Fair Pricing Regulations: Implement regulations to keep prices fair and competition healthy, avoiding monopolies and oligopolies. ⚖️ Regulations; mitigate the 'Us vs. Them' phenomenon in food choices that lead to social dis-ease. Consumers: 💚 Support Responsible Brands: Choose brands that align with SDG goals. 🔍 Demand Transparency: Seek transparency/ accountability or vote with your feet. 💵 Affordability: Advocate for affordable pricing of sustainable products. By strategically pursuing these alliances, companies can address pricing, cost, and food security issues across multiple audiences and cultures while accelerating progress toward a more equitable and sustainable food system. What are your thoughts on the future of strategic alliances in food and beverage? How do you see them evolving? by Andrew Soteriou #StrategicAlliances #FoodAndBeverage #Sustainability #SDGs #GoodGrowth