Coca-Cola Enterprises Plans New Facility in Lakeland

Lakeland Ledger

LAKELAND -- Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. is Lakeland-bound.

The franchise bottler for the CocaCola Company has begun work on a 100,000-square-foot distribution center at Interstate Business Park, located near Interstate 4 and Kathleen Road.

The facility will employ about 100 people and is projected to open late third quarter or early fourth quarter this year, according to spokeswoman Michelle Holcomb.

The site will assist Coke's bottling plants in Tampa and Orlando, she said.

"Continued growth in the Central Florida is what's driving the need for this new facility," Holcomb said. "We're very excited about coming to Lakeland." Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Enterprises has signed a 10-year lease for the distribution center, Holcomb said. The building will primarily be used for warehouse space but will also include about 7,000 square feet for offices.

The company, which bottles some 80 percent of Coke products in North America, employs about 2,800 people in the Central Florida area, Holcomb said.

In addition to bottling plants in Tampa and Orlando, the company also operates a finance office in Brandon, a customer service center in Temple Terrace and sales centers in St. Petersburg, Brooksville and Sebring.

The Coca-Cola Co., also of Atlanta, operates a packaging plant in Auburndale that handles the company's Simply Orange and Powerade products.

Holcomb said her company chose Lakeland because of its central location and access to major highways.

The company's arrival is good for marketing the area's business potential, said Steve Scruggs, executive director of the Lakeland Economic Development Council.

"Anytime you can announce a Fortune 500 company moving to your community, it's good news," he said. "As Lakeland continues to grow and we attact new industry to the area, having names like Coca-Cola, Geico, Pepperidge Farm and Publix helps to build on that success. We'll use (Coca-Cola Enterprises) as another building block to market Lakeland."