PEPSICO COMBINES BEVERAGE UNITS

CHICAGO -- In a move that emphasizes speed-to-shelf strategies for new products, PepsiCo Beverages & Foods has restructured its multiple beverage business units. Shelf-stable and refrigerated drinks under the Tropicana and Dole brands will now be managed by one integrated "juice" team based here. Four other teams under the realignment include Pepsi-Cola North America, focusing on carbonated and non-carbonated beverages; Gatorade, emphasizing the sports drink; Quaker Foods, with a concentration on breakfast foods; and the Canada unit, combining Pepsi-Cola and the Quaker, Tropicana and Gatorade businesses there.