Authentic Italian Pizza Company Makes Pepsi-Cola its Exclusive Beverage Provider

TOLEDO, Ohio, Sept. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Marco's Pizza announced today that Pepsi will be its exclusive beverage provider as the pizza company looks to quadruple its current store count. Marco's currently operates more than 190 stores in 17 states and plans to add more than 880 locations in the coming years. Under the terms of the agreement, Marco's will carry Pepsi products in fountain and bottle format, including soft drinks Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Sierra Mist and Mountain Dew, and will also serve Aquafina, Gatorade and SOBE. The deal marks a switch to Pepsi after 30 years with Coca-Cola.

"PepsiCo and its portfolio of brands, especially Mountain Dew, make sense for the next generation of growth at Marco's," said Marco's Pizza CEO Jack Butorac. "Consumer preference, economic considerations, and the tools, resources and commitment to grow in our rapidly expanding system were the key decision criteria, and we are excited that PepsiCo will be part of Marco's next stage of expansion."

"Marco's has impressive plans and we want to help them achieve their goals," said Tom Everett, National Account Sales Manager, PepsiCo Foodservice. "Our consumer insights and diversified brand portfolio combined with their outstanding pizza is a recipe for success."

Marco's and PepsiCo completed the conversion in late August and the terms of the agreement are effective immediately.

About Marco's Franchising, LLC (www.marcos.com)

Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Marco's Pizza (Marco's Franchising, LLC) is the fastest-growing pizza chain in the U.S. The company was founded in 1978 by Pasquale ("Pat") Giammarco and is committed to making Ah!thentic Italian pizza with fresh ingredients. Marco's is ranked one of the 25 largest pizza chains in the country by PMQ's Pizza Magazine and the top franchise in financial strength by AllBusiness. Marco's has grown from its roots as a beloved Ohio brand to operate more than 190 stores in 17 states.

About PepsiCo Foodservice

PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 18 different product lines that each generate more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Our main businesses - Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade - also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in over 200 countries. The PepsiCo Foodservice Division integrates the relevant units of the company's businesses in the United States and Canada. Rooted in PepsiCo's "Power of One" principles, PepsiCo Foodservice leverages the scale and breadth of the corporation's brands to provide a unified voice to its customers and deliver competitive advantage in the fast-growing foodservice and vending channels. With more than $43 billion in 2008 revenues, PepsiCo employs 198,000 people who are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose. By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

SOURCE PepsiCo

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