I notice something about CCE most of their product portfolio seems to be the same. When CCE buys local bottlers they change the availability of sizes, brands to what CCE normally has everywhere else.

Local independant variety is slowly going away...in about 10-20 years the whole country will probably have the same sizes and flavors.

I know that when CCE bought Chicago Coke/Herbco, they got rid of Coke II in Chicago, and Welch's Grape, Sunkist, and Squirt in northeastern PA. One brand they do seem to keep is Dr Pepper. And they have Squirt and Cactus Cooler in CA.

There are some differences, though. Some areas have 24oz 6pks and others have 16.9oz 6pks (we actually have both). Some areas have 24 packs, some have 20 packs. Another regional thing is the Fanta flavors. For the longest time, we just had Orange and Grape. Now we also have Orange Zero and Strawberry. Texas seems to have a lot better variety, with Apple and Citrus.

Also, they prefer to distribute their own products instead of buying from cooperatives. Chicago Coke was a big Mid-Atlantic Canners customer, so they closed the Zanesville Ohio plant after CCE bought out Chicago. And the Hamburg PA plant closed around the time they bought Central Coke. And Central had bottle production in Pittston PA and Hagerstown MD, both of which CCE shut down. Mid-Atlantic Canners produced their 24 packs in cube packages, which was neat to see, after seeing slabs everywhere else. They also have a good variety in that package.

But you are right, things are sadly getting pretty homogeneous.

Is that a commonality at coke? Promote something in areas well before it gets there or if it even gets there? I mean they have been talking so much about contour 2lts in our area for CCE since forever and a day now and nothing..they even had a CDA display in food lion that was supposed to be for the contour 2 liter bottles..yet they once again didnt have it so they just did their regulars..ALSO they have adjusted shelving in pretty much all chains in our area to accomodate the taller bottles but that happened MONTHS ago...sheesh..I thought my company had fake out problems..and just recently I saw promotional material from a third party company about the twin pack of 50 oz bottles for coke too..wierd as crap..who knows anymore. I did see 2 liter four packs in my handheld today..gotta check into that..

Central only had the Hagerstown Production operation when CCE bought it.

I really need to read my posts over before posting.

Pittston was Keystone Coke. Ebensburg PA also produced for Keystone, but I think that line shut down before the buyout.

Sorry for the confusion.

We were told a while ago they weren't coming until 2010. But they want all the stores set before they arrive, so the reset teams had to start early, and do it when there was down time from regular resets and setups. Some chains even mandated for the shelves to be set X weeks before the changeover. And some of our resets have happened because the chains are mostly in Philadelphia, so they make the sets, but we follow them. Acme now has a 4 shelf set - 12 packs 6 high on the bottom, 8oz cans/8pk PET/6pk PET on the next shelf, and two shelves of 2L.

I guess the good thing is that around here, we have easy access to the contour 2L, since the other two Coke bottlers in the area already switched.

Maybe they are for club stores? I know we switched BJ's and Sam's to the shrinkwrap 6pk 2L, but here in Delaware, Philadelphia kept the 4 pack 2L. They use either a plastic cone or an I shaped hard plastic handle. Pepsi also does a similar thing. I know that previously at Sam's, Pepsi was mix/match, as long as you bought multiples of four bottles. I don't know if that changed - we don't have any clubs nearby.

CCBCC ran 4pk 2L in cardboard boxes, like you see the generic 2L soda come in, but they had color and graphics on the outside. A decent looking package, and they looked like they stacked up pretty well.