Burger King likely to sign deal with Coca-Cola; may end tie-up with Pepsi

Burger King is in talks to sign a deal with Coca-Cola as its exclusive beverages partner, breaking off its 10-year relationship with PepsiCo.

Executives said the deal will be formalised and announced by the end of next quarter.

Burger King has been associated with PepsiCo since it came to India in 2014.

An executive said, "Coca-Cola has been escalating its "Coke with meals" platform aggressively and has a 15 per cent stake in food delivery platform Thrive, which competes with Swiggy and Zomato, with a base of more than 14,000 restaurants. Such an association directly benefits both restaurants and the beverage maker and was among the reasons that clinched the deal with Coca-Cola."

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Another executive said that the top-rung engagement with PepsiCo was also limited.

Burger King is aligned with Coca-Cola, but in India, the US-based fast-food chain has been in an exclusive partnership with PepsiCo. KFC and Pizza Hut have exclusive partnerships to serve PepsiCo's beverages in India. The deal will give Coca-Cola immediate traction and access to serve at over 391 stores of Burger King and its coffee and beverage sub-brand "BK Cafe" across India.

Coca-Cola India acquired a stake in Thrive, owned by Hashtag Loyalty, in April this year, in what was its first investment in a startup in India.