FDBusiness.com

Refresco, the world’s largest independent bottler of beverages for retailers and A-brands, has agreed to acquire AZPACK (Arizona Production & Packaging) and its manufacturing activities located in Tempe, Arizona in the USA. The deal will further expand Refresco’s footprint in North America to enable strategic growth in this region. Refresco became the world’s largest independent bottler with leadership positions across Europe and North America following the acquisition of Cott’s bottling activities in 2018.

Hans Roelofs, chief executive of Refresco Group, explains: “North America is a large and very diverse market with a lot of growth potential in different drinks categories. Our current footprint consists of 27 locations in North America, serving national and international branded beverage companies and retailers. With the addition of AZPACK to the Refresco Group, we will be even better positioned to service customers in the Southwestern USA across many categories, including energy drinks and innovative sports drinks. AZPACK will have a specialist role in the Refresco Group, as they are known for their expertise in manufacturing complex niche products for branded beverage companies.”

Refresco is also in the process of expanding its European presence with the acquisition Britvic’s three juice manufacturing facilities in France. The acquisitions in the US and Europe mark an acceleration of Refresco’s ‘buy & build’ strategy.

“Strategically we are shifting towards the provision of total beverage solutions to our customers whereby our focus on added-value services, more complex products and a more sustainable use of materials is increasing the value we can bring. With the recent announcements, and a well-filled pipeline of potential acquisition targets, we continue to see ample opportunities for further growth,” says Hans Roelofs.