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New Zealand: Frucor to take over marketing and distribution of Gatorade

(beveragemanager.net) - Frucor Beverages has taken over the distribution and marketing rights for the Gatorade brand in New Zealand. Gatorade was successfully introduced to the New Zealand market by PepsiCo-owned Bluebird Foods in October 2011, with the launch of Gatorade Perform drinks and powder.

"Gatorade is an iconic global brand, and we are very excited about the opportunity to grow it in our part of the world. Frucor has well-established networks and a proven understanding of the impulse beverage channel, which is an important area of future growth for Gatorade. Our people bring first-class expertise in beverage marketing and distribution, and as a business we have a strong reputation and long-term commitment to the beverage market in NZ," said Mark Callaghan, CEO of Frucor.

The company is the market leader in energy drinks throughout Australasia and the second-largest non-alcoholic drinks company in New Zealand. Frucor employs more than 900 people across New Zealand and Australia. (bmg)