BD has learned from multiple sources that the Honickman Group is negotiating for PepsiCo-owned bottling territory in New Jersey and Philadelphia. Honickman already operates a swath of Pepsi territory in New Jersey, south of Trenton, including Burlington, Pennsauken, Camden and Gloucester. The proposed refranchising could give Honickman control over the rest of New Jersey, as well as metro Philadelphia to the southwest. The territories in question are operated by Pepsi Beverages Company (PBC), the PepsiCo-owned bottling unit that covers

There has been no shortage of speculation this year about whether PepsiCo will follow Coca-Cola’s lead in refranchising its U.S. soft drink bottling and distribution system. Some industry insiders believe the company’s recent CEO hand over to Ramon Laguarta could open the door to a strategy change. Others wonder how challenging it would be for PepsiCo to line up buyers for a full-scale refranchising. PepsiCo executives have said