Which company acquired Coca-Cola bottling operations in 1986 to form Coca-Cola Enterprises?

The Coca-Cola Company acquired the bottling operations that formed Coca-Cola Enterprises in 1986.

Coca-Cola Enterprises was created during a major restructuring of Coca-Cola’s North American distribution system. The Coca-Cola Company bought company-owned bottling territories and placed them in the new publicly traded bottler, which handled production, packaging, sales, and distribution.

The arrangement separated concentrate production and brand management from much of the physical bottling work. Coca-Cola Enterprises later became one of the world’s largest Coca-Cola bottlers and operated across several countries.

This history can be confused with later consolidation. In 2010, Coca-Cola Enterprises sold its North American operations back to The Coca-Cola Company, while retaining businesses in parts of Europe. The bottler’s later European operations were ultimately combined with other Coca-Cola bottling businesses.