PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) Q4 2022 Earnings Call Transcript

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So I’m really just trying to understand the complexion of spending here just being a little bit different than where I would have thought it’d come in. So any context would be very helpful? Thanks.

Hugh Johnston: Sure. Sure, Chris. Let me just share a couple of thoughts on that. Number one, just as a reminder, distribution is obviously highly variable with the volume and with revenue as well because we paid salesman on commissions. So that’s obviously going to be a factor in the numbers. Number two, the costs that are embedded in there also include the cost of creating displays in the marketplace. And that’s part of what we represent as investments. So whether it’s coolers on the beverage side, either in convenience stores or front-end coolers and supermarkets or in mass merchants and the like, and also fountain equipment in the food service channels, where we’re growing at a very healthy clip, is a part of all that as well.

In addition to that, even on the food side, display racks and POS, all of those things that are really outsized contributors to growth that frankly, we’ve created a ton of win-win solutions with our customers on is part of what makes them continue to vote for us as the number one supplier in Cantor. Those investments are value-producing investments for both the customers and us. And so without getting into the granular details of how much exactly is in each of those buckets, I think a lot of what you’re seeing is a reflection of the things that we’re doing in the selling and distribution system to drive the kind of growth that we’ve been seeing.

Ramon Laguarta: Yes. And to your question on Q4, yes, we decided to invest both in consumer, as you saw from our A&M growth in the quarter, and also as Hugh was saying, in making sure our installed equipment base in the market, and this is very relevant in the U.S. But also internationally, we continue to gain space, space being a key lever of for categories like ours that are input-based categories, space and it’s a critical lever of performance in the marketplace, and it is a driver of share of market. So those two were there. We also invested in systems and some of the capabilities, especially digitalization capabilities that we thought we had a window of investment in Q4.

Operator: Thank you. One moment for our next question. Our last question comes from Gerald Pascarelli with Wedbush. Your line is open.

Gerald Pascarelli: Hi, good morning. Thanks very much for the question. Mine is actually on energy drinks. So now that the Celsius transition has been completed, I was just looking for some color around your market strategy for driving distribution for both Rockstar and Celsius in tandem. Are there any specific strategies or considerations around channel mix to be mindful of, in particular given how under-penetrated the Celsius products are at convenience? Any color you could provide on your strategy would be helpful? Thank you.

Ramon Laguarta: Yes. Good question. And clearly, as we said, we have four pillars in the energy strategy. They all become an integrated portfolio as we execute in stores. So having this set of solutions with Rockstar, Celsius, Mountain Dew Energy and coffee gives us the opportunity to go to our customers and strategize with them new space opportunities that we didn’t have in the past. So I think it’s very positive for Celsius, and we’re already seeing that. If you look at the Nielsen numbers or any distribution metrics that you want to check, distribution is improving. Displays are improving. The same with Rockstar. Rockstar was a brand that was very Western-based and some parts of the U.S., and now we’re expanding to other parts of the U.S. So I think there is a lot of synergies in the point-of-sale execution as we have a portfolio that is catering to different cohorts, complements each other and gives our customers the opportunity to get better return on their space.

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