Coke Bottlers Close to Compromise on Direct Shipping

The independent Coke bottlers who sued Coca-Cola and CCE last year for contract infringement may be close to a settlement with Coke, according to a report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.You'll recall that the bottlers sued Coke and its largest bottler because Coke had plans to ship Powerade sports drink directly to Wal-Mart's central distribution warehouses. Beer distributors have been watching the case closely because its outcome could be a harbinger of things to come. (Or not. Beer is different in