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Coke caves under Wal-Mart pressure
CNN/Money ^ | June 8, 2006

Posted on 06/08/2006 12:27:13 PM PDT by RWR8189

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Coca-Cola, fearing Wal-Mart would launch its own sports drink to rival the beverage giant's Powerade if it didn't agree to the retailer's new distribution terms, caved under the pressure and altered its own century-old supply system, a published report said Thursday.

Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, asked Coke last year to switch to the straight-to-warehouse delivery method, and Coke's largest bottler, Coca-Cola Enterprises (Research) (CCE), began doing so across much of the U.S. in April, the Wall Street Journal said.

But according to June 1 court filing by Coke, the company stated that it faced a "serious risk" of a Wal-Mart-branded rival to Powerade unless it abided by Wal-Mart's demands of direct distribution instead of having Coke (Research) bottlers deliver drinks to individual stores within their exclusive territories and stack those drinks on store shelves.

The disclosure was made in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Atlanta against Coke and its largest bottler by 55 smaller bottlers, the paper said.

The smaller bottlers who brought the suit claim the distribution change violates their distribution contracts with Coke, but the beverage giant and CCE have argued that the plaintiffs aren't entitled to "claim nationwide veto rights" over how another bottler serves its territories, the paper said.

Internal CCE documents filed as part of the suit show that Wal-Mart officials criticized the traditional Coke distribution system for failing to keep Powerade in stock on store shelves and for taking too long to introduce products throughout the Wal-Mart chain, the paper said.

(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: cce; cocacola; coke; powerade; sportsdrinks; walmart
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

Coke probably can't afford to lose the Wal-mart market.

Wal-mart can promote the competitors, Coke has no other recourse.


41 posted on 06/08/2006 1:05:51 PM PDT by RWR8189 (George Allen for President)
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To: Radix

Wal-Mart is going to save $$$ for Coke with this the way I see it.



Walmart looks at delivery/distribution as another cost cutting process. They will sometimes get the supplier to remove the shipping fees and have their Walmart trucks back up to the supplier's loading dock and take ownership there.


42 posted on 06/08/2006 1:06:38 PM PDT by deport
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To: Radix
If the drivers for Coke in your area are not union that is simply an anomaly.

Most of the drivers for bottlers are just kids in college barely making $12.00 an hour.

43 posted on 06/08/2006 1:06:39 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist (Conservatism is moderate, it is the center, it is the middle of the road)
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To: Yo-Yo
"Drivers get paid by the case delivered. If the bottling plant ships directly to a Wal-Mart warehouse, bypassing the local distributer, the driver gets hurt."

And the American consumer wins with lower prices by cutting out unnecessary middle men and costs.
44 posted on 06/08/2006 1:09:00 PM PDT by Hendrix
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To: opinionator

Wal-Mart is like hiring someone to Mow your 1 acre yard for 5 dollars. They agree to mow it once a week rain or shine.

They show up and mow your yard with a huge tractor and bushhog. They cut down every sprig of grass in sight. And they leave huge ruts in your yard.

You would use someone else, but they've torn up the yard so bad that no else will mow it. So, you are stuck with them.


45 posted on 06/08/2006 1:09:26 PM PDT by Bryan24 (When in doubt, move to the right....)
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To: jwh_Denver

That article was written over 2 years ago.


46 posted on 06/08/2006 1:09:53 PM PDT by cinives (On some planets what I do is considered normal.)
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To: RWR8189
Coke probably can't afford to lose the Wal-mart market. Wal-mart can promote the competitors, Coke has no other recourse.

Coke prices in Wal-Mart are just the same as any other grocery stores, except that Wal-Mart honors competitors' prices and there's no limits on quanitity. Coke had plenty of recourses here. They could have told Wal-Mart to get bent and pulled their products out of their stores, which would have hurt some grocery sales at Wal-Mart because people buy soda in addition to other things too.

Coke passed up a good chance to fire a shot across Wal-Mart's bow, IMO. Don't get me wrong I love Wal-Mart but I like it when businesses stand up to them like the Snapper dealer and how Netflix ate Wally's lunch in DVD rentals.

47 posted on 06/08/2006 1:10:32 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist (Conservatism is moderate, it is the center, it is the middle of the road)
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To: Bryan24

That's a stretch of an analogy. I think I can still waltz into Wawa or a hundred other places and buy Coke any time I want some.


48 posted on 06/08/2006 1:11:13 PM PDT by cinives (On some planets what I do is considered normal.)
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To: Hendrix

"American consumer wins... "

Eventually, Wal-Mart will force Coca-Cola to stop using distributors for their products and ship direct to Wal-Mart.

When that happens, some of the distributors will go out of business. Then, Coca-Cola becomes harder to find. Coke will lose market share.

If Coke tries to buck Wal-Mart, they yank their product off their shelves.

Coca-Cola is the loser in this.


49 posted on 06/08/2006 1:12:53 PM PDT by Bryan24 (When in doubt, move to the right....)
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To: Eagles Talon IV
If they can get into banking they surely can start up a soft drink manufacturing company.

Two different things. Wal-Mart already makes soda through their Sam's Choice brand anyway.

50 posted on 06/08/2006 1:14:09 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist (Conservatism is moderate, it is the center, it is the middle of the road)
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To: cinives

"That article was written over 2 years ago."

It still wasn't true 2 years ago.


51 posted on 06/08/2006 1:14:18 PM PDT by jwh_Denver (Taglines for sale or rent, old ones go for 50 cents.)
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To: cinives

Oh, it won't happen immediately. But if Wal-Mart continues their predatory strong-arm tactics unchecked, it will.


52 posted on 06/08/2006 1:14:40 PM PDT by Bryan24 (When in doubt, move to the right....)
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To: Bryan24
"Eventually, Wal-Mart will put all of the local bottlers out of business ..."

That is a good thing since that business model is not efficient. Cut costs out of the supply chain and we all become richer with lower cost good and services. Walmart seems to be one of the few who really understand this basic economic principal. Others want to continue with the status quo (unions, obsolete jobs, etc.).
53 posted on 06/08/2006 1:15:04 PM PDT by Hendrix
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To: Hendrix

Exactly. Coke will evolve to be sure any business who wants to buy their product can continue to do so, or they will become a smaller company. Their choice.

You have to think Pepsi is next, or they've already changed to do this already.


54 posted on 06/08/2006 1:18:01 PM PDT by cinives (On some planets what I do is considered normal.)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist
Most of the drivers for bottlers are just kids in college barely making $12.00 an hour..

Maybe somewhere.

Most places they’re Teamsters and make significantly more than $12. That’s why the Teamsters have an entire conference devoted ONLY to brewery and soft drink and allied industry drivers.

55 posted on 06/08/2006 1:18:16 PM PDT by Who dat?
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To: RWR8189

From the title I was thinking this was about Columbia.


56 posted on 06/08/2006 1:20:15 PM PDT by rahbert
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To: Hendrix

What do you want, a world in which Wal-Mart is the only retail store?

Better yet, do you want Wal-Mart = Microsoft? They are already getting there fast with their horrendous service and store management.


57 posted on 06/08/2006 1:20:18 PM PDT by Bryan24 (When in doubt, move to the right....)
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To: Bryan24
"Oh, it won't happen immediately. But if Wal-Mart continues their predatory strong-arm tactics unchecked, it will."

Walmart is the big bad wolf. LOL. You are on the wrong website. Walmart is the best thing that has happened to our economy in 100 years! It has breathed life in to our free market system and halted the liberal/union model.
58 posted on 06/08/2006 1:21:20 PM PDT by Hendrix
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To: RWR8189
I like Rock Star diet but can't find it because the big cola guys will not give them shelf space. Only place I find it as check out at some Wal-Marts.
59 posted on 06/08/2006 1:22:28 PM PDT by BellStar (God makes a promise, faith believes it, hope anticipates it, patience quietly awaits it.)
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To: Bryan24
"What do you want, a world in which Wal-Mart is the only retail store?"

You are comparing apples to oranges. Walmart sells products that can be bought anywhere, so there is no danager of a monopoly. What I want is more Walmarts because that is the most efficient business model for consumers. There is no danger of Walmart becoming the only retail store.
60 posted on 06/08/2006 1:24:34 PM PDT by Hendrix
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