CKE Restaurants, Inc., Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages, Ink New Beverage Agreement for Carl's Jr., Hardee's

By: CKE Restaurants | 0 Shares 136 Reads

CARPINTERIA, Calif., Feb. 7 // PRNewswire-FirstCall // -- CKE Restaurants, Inc., parent company of Carl's Jr. (R) and Hardee's(R) restaurants, today announced a multi-year year fountain beverage sales agreement with Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages (CSAB).

Under the terms of the new contract, CSAB will have two fountain brands available in all U.S. Carl's Jr. and Hardee's restaurants, including Dr Pepper(R) and either Diet Dr Pepper(R) or Squirt(R), depending on location. Currently, CSAB has two fountain brands at Carl's Jr.; the new agreement adds a second fountain brand in Hardee's more than 1,700 U.S. restaurants.

"Dr Pepper has been a part of our business since Carl's Jr. founder, Carl Karcher, sold it from his first hot dog cart in 1941," said Andrew Puzder, president and CEO of CKE Restaurants. "We are pleased to continue working with CSAB to explore opportunities that mutually grow our brands and bring value to our consumers."

"Carl's Jr. and Hardee's are great brands with a passionate consumer following, much like Dr Pepper, Diet Dr Pepper and Squirt, which is why we fit so well together," said Dave Rollins, senior vice president of fountain foodservice sales at CSAB. "We are very proud to have been with CKE at every step of way, and we're looking forward to building on our relationship with innovative, strategic customer marketing programs that resonate with their guests."

About CKE Restaurants, Inc.
Headquartered in Carpinteria, California, CKE Restaurants, Inc. is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "CKR". As of the second fiscal quarter ending Nov. 5, 2007, CKE Restaurants, through its subsidiaries, had a total of 3,036 franchised or company-operated restaurants in 43 states and 14 countries, including 1,121 Carl's Jr. restaurants and 1,915 Hardee's restaurants. For more information about CKE Restaurants, Inc., please visit http://www.ckr.com.

About Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages

Plano, Texas-based Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages (CSAB) is a subsidiary division of Cadbury Schweppes plc (NYSE: CSG). CSAB is one of the largest producers of soft drinks and premium beverages in the Americas. CSAB's brand portfolio includes Dr Pepper, 7UP, Snapple, Mott's Apple Juice, RC Cola, A&W Root Beer, Sunkist Soda, Canada Dry, Hawaiian Punch, Schweppes, Diet Rite, Clamato, Mr & Mrs T Mixers, Holland House Mixers, Rose's, Mistic, Yoo-hoo, Orangina, IBC, Stewart's, Nantucket Nectars and other well-known consumer brands. For additional information on CSAB and its products, visit http://www.brandspeoplelove.com.

SOURCE CKE Restaurants, Inc.