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Coke Consolidated Scores During Playoffs

Posted on: Tuesday, 17 January 2006, 09:00 CST

By Gillian May-Lian Wee, The Charlotte Observer, N.C.

Jan. 17--Before the Panthers kicked off Sunday night, Charlotte's Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated had already notched a win.

As fans snapped up soft drinks to get them through the game, Coke Consolidated saw a 25 percent spike in N.C. sales compared to a normal January weekend, said company spokesman Lauren Steele.

In comparison, sales were normal in Nashville, home of the Tennessee Titans and another area where Coke Consolidated operates. The company typically doesn't release specific weekend sales figures.

"People are jumping up and down and cheering and that makes them thirsty," said Steele. "Go Panthers."

Traditionally, peaks for soft drink sales have been Memorial Day, Labor Day and Independence Day. But the Super Bowl season has emerged in the past decade as a money-maker as more people gather to watch games, said Jeff Sicher, publisher of trade magazine Beverage Digest.

"It's a winter counterpart of the summer holiday weekends," said Sicher, still in mourning after his team, the New York Giants, lost 23-0 to the Panthers.

Coke Consolidated anticipated the sales spike earlier last week, Steele said. Its merchandisers, each in charge of several grocery stores, were busy Saturday re-stocking -- and will continue hustling this week in preparation for Sunday's NFC championship game in Seattle.

The threat of bad weekend weather also helped drive soda-drinkers to the stores to stock up, Steele said.

Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co., which has a plant on South Boulevard, didn't have sales numbers Monday, but had been told by Harris Teeter that the playoffs boost business, said the plant's general manager, Mark Johnson.

Coke Consolidated is pulling for the Panthers. If the team plays in the Super Bowl, Coke sales might rival July 4 peaks, Steele said.

Coca-Cola Consolidated

-- As the nation's No. 2 Coke bottler, it distributes Coca-Cola products in 11 states, including the Carolinas.

-- It counts

18 million consumers in its territory. It does not break out how many are Panthers fans.

Gillian May-Lian Wee: (704) 358-5160

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Charlotte Observer, N.C.

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NASDAQ-NMS:COKE, NYSE:RDK,

Source: The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)

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