PepsiCo bets on higher soda sales as restaurants reopen

(Reuters) -PepsiCo Inc said on Thursday it expects organic revenue growth to pick up pace in the second quarter, betting on higher soda sales from restaurants that are gradually reopening following the speedy rollout of coronavirus vaccines.

A pandemic winner, the company has been benefiting from homebound consumers stocking up their pantries with salty chips, sodas and oatmeal and posted first-quarter revenue that beat Wall Street expectations.

“We are assuming that vaccination efforts will accelerate and population mobility will improve,” Chief Executive Officer Ramon Laguarta said.

“This should benefit the foodservice channel as and when travel, lodging, dining, education, and entertainment trends accelerate.”

PepsiCo said it expects the North American beverage business to “perform well” and the snack unit to “remain resilient.” The company, however, stuck to its organic revenue growth and earnings forecast for the year.

Sales of snacks under the company’s Frito-Lay North America unit rose 4% in the quarter ended March 20, while those of sodas and other beverages rose 5% in North America, its biggest market.

Net revenue rose 6.8% to $14.82 billion, above analysts’ average estimate of $14.55 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

Net income attributable to the company rose to $1.71 billion, or $1.24 per share, from $1.34 billion, or 96 cents per share, a year earlier.

Reporting by Nivedita Balu in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pepsico-results/pepsico-bets-on-higher-soda-sales-as-restaurants-reopen-idUSKBN2C21B9

World Economic Magazine

Recent Posts

Goodyear Installs Roger Wood as Interim CEO During Strategic Review

Mark Stewart exits immediately as the board continues examining the company’s business mix, footprint and…

24 hours ago

Securitize Seeks a Lending Foothold With River One Acquisition

The pending deal would connect asset-backed financing with its tokenization business, but market-size figures do…

2 days ago

LKQ Accelerates Sal Abbate’s Arrival as Chief Executive

The automotive-parts supplier ends its interim leadership arrangement more than a month ahead of the…

2 days ago

U.S. and 14 Partners Set Agenda on Manufacturing Excess Capacity

A joint ministerial statement calls for sectoral discussions and an end to market-distorting policies, without…

3 days ago

Aruba Signs Battery Deal to Coordinate Its Power System

Wärtsilä’s 35-megawatt storage project pairs batteries with energy management and maintenance, with takeover expected in…

4 days ago

BigBear.ai’s $225 Million Award Tally Requires a Funding Reality Check

The federal contractor reports customer expansion and retained work, but contract ceilings and unexercised options…

5 days ago