DR Pepper Snapple Group Inc (DPS) SEC Annual Report (10-K) for 2015

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PART I

OUR COMPANY

Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. is a leading integrated brand owner, manufacturer and distributor of non-alcoholic beverages in the United States ("U.S."), Canada and Mexico with a diverse portfolio of flavored (non-cola) carbonated soft drinks ("CSDs") and non-carbonated beverages ("NCBs"), including ready-to-drink teas, juices, juice drinks, water and mixers. We have some of the most recognized beverage brands in North America, with significant consumer awareness levels and long histories that evoke strong emotional connections with consumers. References in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to "we", "our", "us", "DPS" or "the Company" refer to Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries, unless the context requires otherwise.

The following provides highlights about our company:

	•	#1 flavored CSD company (1)  in the U.S.
•	Approximately 84% of our BCS volume from brands that are either #1 or #2 in their category (1)
•	#3 North American liquid refreshment beverage ("LRB") business (1)
•	$6.3 billion of net sales in 2015 from the U.S. (89%), Mexico and the Caribbean (8%) and Canada (3%)

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(1) Based on retail sales from The Nielsen Company ("Nielsen")

History of Our Business

We have built our business over the last three decades through a series of strategic acquisitions. In the 1980s through the mid-1990s, we began building on our then-existing Schweppes business by adding brands such as Mott's, Canada Dry and A&W and a license for Sunkist soda. We also acquired the Peñafiel business in Mexico. In 1995, we acquired Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc., having previously made minority investments in the company. In 1999, we acquired a 40% interest in Dr Pepper/Seven Up Bottling Group, Inc. ("DPSUBG"), which was then our largest independent bottler, and increased our interest to 45% in 2005. In 2000, we acquired Snapple and other brands, significantly increasing our share of the U.S. NCB market segment. During 2006 and 2007, we acquired the remaining 55% of DPSUBG and several smaller bottlers and integrated them into our Packaged Beverages segment, thereby expanding our geographic coverage.

We were incorporated in Delaware on October 24, 2007. In 2008, Cadbury Schweppes plc ("Cadbury") separated its beverage business in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean (the "Americas Beverages business") from its global confectionery business by contributing the subsidiaries that operated its Americas Beverages business to us.

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PRODUCTS AND DISTRIBUTION

We are a leading integrated brand owner, manufacturer and distributor of non-alcoholic beverages in the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean and Canada. We also sell certain of our products to distributors in Europe and Asia. We recognized net sales from the shipment of 1.6 billion equivalent 288 fluid ounce cases in 2015 . The following charts provide various details regarding sources of our total 288 fluid ounce cases in 2015 :

Our success is fueled by more than 50 brands that are synonymous with refreshment, fun and flavor. We have six of the top 10 non-cola soft drinks, and 13 of our 14 leading brands are #1 or #2 in their flavor categories based on Nielsen sales volume.

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The highlights about our significant brands are as follows:

CSDs
	•	#1 in its flavor category and #2 overall flavored CSD in the U.S.
•	Distinguished by its unique blend of 23 flavors and loyal consumer following
•	Flavors include regular, diet, cherry and Dr Pepper TEN
•	Oldest major soft drink in the U.S., introduced in 1885

Our Core 4 brands
	•	#1 ginger ale in the U.S. and Canada, which includes regular, diet and Canada Dry TEN
•	Brand also includes club soda, tonic, sparkling seltzer water and other mixers
•	Created in Toronto, Canada in 1904 and introduced in the U.S. in 1919

	•	#2 lemon-lime CSD in the U.S.
•	Flavors include regular, diet, cherry and 7UP TEN
•	The original "Un-Cola," created in 1929

	•	#1 root beer in the U.S.
•	Flavors include regular, diet, A&W TEN and cream soda
•	A classic all-American beverage first sold at a veteran's parade in 1919

	•	#1 orange CSD in the U.S.
•	Flavors include orange, diet, grape, strawberry, Sunkist TEN and other fruits
•	Licensed to us as a CSD by the Sunkist Growers Association since 1986

Other CSD brands
	•	#1 carbonated mineral water brand in Mexico
•	Brand includes unflavored mineral water, Limeade, Orangeade, Grapefruitade, Fresada, Flavors and Twist
•	Mexico's oldest mineral water, created in 1948

	•	#1 grapefruit CSD in the U.S. and a leading grapefruit CSD in Mexico
•	Founded in 1938

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	•	#3 orange CSD in the U.S.
•	Flavors include orange, diet and other fruits
•	Brand began as the all-natural orange flavor drink in 1906

	•	#2 ginger ale in the U.S. and Canada
•	Brand includes club soda, tonic, sparkling seltzer water and other mixers
•	First carbonated beverage in the world, invented in 1783

	•	Royal Crown Cola originated in Columbus, Georgia in 1905
•	Flavors include regular, diet, RC TEN and cherry

NCBs
	•	#1 Premium shelf-stable ready to drink tea in the U.S.
•	A full range of premium, flavored tea products including regular and diet offerings, as well as unflavored Straight Up Tea
•	Brand also includes premium juices and juice drinks
•	Founded in Brooklyn, New York in 1972

	•	#1 branded shelf-stable fruit punch brand in the U.S.
•	Brand includes a variety of fruit flavored and reduced calorie juice drinks
•	Developed originally as an ice cream topping known as "Leo's Hawaiian Punch" in 1934

	•	#1 branded multi-serve apple juice and apple sauce brand in the U.S.
•	Juice products include apple and other fruit juices and Mott's for Tots
•	Apple sauce products include regular, unsweetened and flavored
•	Brand began as a line of apple cider and vinegar offerings in 1842

	•	A leading spicy tomato juice brand in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
•	Key ingredient in the popular Mexican drink, the Michelada, and Canada's national drink cocktail, the Bloody Caesar
•	Brand includes a variety of flavors, Original, Picante, Lime, and Preparado (the Works)
•	Created in 1969

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All information regarding our brand market positions in the U.S. is from Nielsen and is based on sales volume in 2015 .

The Sunkist soda logo is a registered trademark of Sunkist Growers, Inc., which is used by us under license.

All other logos in the table above are registered trademarks of DPS or its subsidiaries.

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In the CSD market in the U.S. and Canada, we participate primarily in the flavored CSD category. Our key brands are Dr Pepper, Canada Dry, 7UP, A&W, Crush, Sunkist soda, Schweppes, Squirt and RC Cola, and we also sell regional and smaller niche brands. In the CSD market, we distribute finished beverages and manufacture beverage concentrates and fountain syrups. Beverage concentrates are highly concentrated proprietary flavors used to make syrup or finished beverages. We manufacture beverage concentrates that are used by our own Packaged Beverages and Latin America Beverages segments, as well as sold to third party bottling companies. According to Nielsen, we ha d a 20.8% s hare of the U.S. CSD market in 2015 (measured by retail sales), whic h increased 0.3% compared to 2014 . We also manufacture fountain syrup that we sell to the foodservice industry directly, through bottlers or through third parties.

In the NCB market segment in the U.S., we participate primarily in the ready-to-drink tea, juice, juice drinks, water and mixer categories. Our key NCB brands are Hawaiian Punch, Snapple, Mott's and Clamato, and we also sell regional and smaller niche brands. We manufacture most of our NCBs as ready-to-drink beverages and distribute them through our own distribution network and through third parties or direct to our customers' warehouses. In addition to NCB beverages, we also manufacture Mott's apple sauce as a finished product.

In Mexico and the Caribbean, we participate primarily in the carbonated mineral water, flavored CSDs, bottled water and vegetable juice categories. Our key brands in Mexico include Peñafiel, Squirt, Aguafiel, Clamato and Crush. In Mexico, we manufacture and sell our brands through both our own manufacturing and distribution operations as well as third party bottlers. In the Caribbean, we distribute our products solely through third party distributors and bottlers. We have also begun to distribute certain products in other international jurisdictions through various third party bottlers and distributors.

In 2015 , we manufactured and/or distributed approximately 52% of our total products sold in the U.S. (as measured by volume). In addition, our businesses manufacture and/or distribute a variety of brands owned by third parties in specified licensed geographic territories.

OUR STRENGTHS

The key strengths of our business are:

Strong portfolio of leading, consumer-preferred brands.  We own a diverse portfolio of well-known CSD and NCB brands. Many of our brands enjoy high levels of consumer awareness, preference and loyalty rooted in their rich heritage, which drive their market positions. Our diverse portfolio provides our bottlers, distributors and retailers with a wide variety of products and provides us with a platform for growth and profitability. According to Nielsen retail sales, we are th e # 1 fla vored CSD company in the U.S. Our largest brand, Dr Pepper, is the  #2 f lavored CSD in the U.S. and our Snapple brand is a leading ready-to-drink t ea. Overall, in 2015 , approximately 84 % of our volume was generated by brands that hold either the #1 or #2 position in their category. The strength of our significant brands has allowed us to launch innovations, brand extensions or limited time offers, such as our Snapple Straight Up Tea and seasonal limited time offerings, Hawaiian Punch single-serve pouches, Peñafiel Strawberryade, Mott's Tropical BA-NA-NA applesauce and juice drink lines in 2015 .

Integrated business model. Our integrated business model provides opportunities for net sales and profit growth through the alignment of the economic interests of our brand ownership and our manufacturing and distribution businesses. For example, we can focus on maximizing profitability for our company as a whole rather than focusing on profitability generated from either the sale of beverage concentrates or the bottling and distribution of our products. Additionally, our integrated business model enables us to be more flexible and responsive to the changing needs of our large retail customers by coordinating sales, service, distribution, promotions and product launches and allows us to more fully leverage our scale and reduce costs by creating greater geographic manufacturing and distribution coverage. Our manufacturing and distribution system in the U.S. also enables us to improve focus on our brands, especially certain brands such as 7UP, A&W, Sunkist soda, Squirt, RC Cola, Hawaiian Punch and Snapple, which do not have a large presence in the bottler systems affiliated with The Coca-Cola Company ("Coca-Cola") or PepsiCo, Inc. ("PepsiCo").

Strong customer relationships. Our brands have enjoyed long-standing relationships with many of our top customers. We sell our products to a wide range of customers, from bottlers and distributors to national retailers, large food service and convenience store customers. We have strong relationships with some of the largest bottlers and distributors, including those affiliated with Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, some of the largest and most important retailers, including Wal-Mart Store s, Inc. ("Walmart"), The Kroger Co., Safeway, Inc., Target Corporation and Publix Super Markets, Inc., some of the largest food service customers, including McDonald's Corporation, Yum! Brands, Inc., Burger King Corp., Sonic Corp., The Wendy's Company, Chick-fil-A, Inc., Jack in the Box, Inc., Subway Restaurants, Arby's Group, Inc. and Whataburger Restaurants LLC, and conve nience store customers, including 7-Eleven, Inc., Circle K Enterprises, Inc. and OXXO. Our portfolio of strong brands, operational scale and experience across beverage segments has enabled us to maintain strong relationships with our customers.

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Attractive positioning within a large and profitable market. We hold the  #1 position in the U.S. flavored CSD beverage markets by sales volume according to Nielsen. We are also a leader in the Canada and Mexico beverage markets. Our portfolio of products is biased toward flavored CSDs, which continue to gain market share versus cola CSDs, but also focuses on growing categories such as teas and juices. We believe marketing and product innovations that target fast growing population segments, such as the Hispanic community in the U.S., could drive market growth.

Broad geographic manufacturing and distribution coverage. As of December 31, 2015 , we had 19 manufacturing facilities and 101 principal distribution centers and warehouse facilities in the U.S., as well as three manufacturing facilities and 12 principal distribution centers and warehouse facilities in Mexico. In December 2015, we began construction on a new manufacturing facility in Mexico which is not reflected in the numbers above. We have strategically located manufacturing and distribution capabilities, enabling us to better align our operations with our customers, reduce transportation costs and have greater control over the timing and coordination of new product launches. In addition, our warehouses are generally located at or near bottling plants and geographically dispersed to ensure our products are available to meet consumer demand. We actively manage transportation of our products using our fleet (owned and leased) of approximately 7,000 and 1,500 vehicles in the U.S. and Mexico, respectively, and third party logistics providers on a selected basis. As a result of our distribution capabilities, we believe brand owners view us as a partner with a strong route-to-market in order to grow their allied brand in our Packaged Beverages segment.

Strong operating margins and stable cash flows. The breadth of our brand portfolio has enabled us to generate strong operating margins which have delivered stable cash flows. These cash flows enable us to consider a variety of alternatives, such as investing in our business, repurchasing shares of our common stock, paying dividends to our stockholders and reducing our debt. As a result of our stable cash flows and the reduction of our capital expenditures, we have been able to increase our dividends each year since 2010 in order to return more cash to our stockholders.

Experienced executive management team. Our executive management team has over 200  years of collective experience in the food and beverage industry. The team has broad experience in brand ownership, manufacturing and distribution, and enjoys strong relationships both within the industry and with major customers. In addition, our management team has diverse skills that support our operating strategies, including driving organic growth through targeted and efficient marketing, improving productivity of our operations, aligning manufacturing and distribution interests and executing strategic acquisitions.

OUR STRATEGY

The key elements of our business strategy are to:

Build our brands. We have a well-defined portfolio strategy to allocate our marketing and sales resources. We use an on-going process of market and consumer analysis to identify key brands that we believe have the greatest potential for profitable sales growth. We continue to invest most heavily in our key brands to drive profitable and sustainable growth by strengthening consumer awareness, innovating against our brands to take advantage of evolving consumer trends, improving distribution and increasing promotional effectiveness. We also focus on new distribution agreements for emerging, high-growth third party brands in new categories that can use our manufacturing and distribution network. We provide these new brands with distribution capability and resources to grow, and they provide us with exposure to growing segments of the market with relatively low risk and capital investment.

Execute with excellence.   We are focused on improving our product presence in high margin brands, products and channels, such as convenience stores, vending machines and small independent retail outlets, through increased selling activity. We also intend to increase demand for high margin products like single-serve packages for many of our key brands through increased in-store activity.

We believe our integrated brand ownership, manufacturing and distribution business model provides us opportunities for net sales and profit growth through the alignment of the economic interests of our brand ownership and our manufacturing and distribution businesses. We intend to continue leveraging our integrated business model to reduce costs by optimizing geographic manufacturing and distribution coverage and to be more flexible and responsive to the changing needs of our large retail customers by coordinating sales, service, distribution, promotions and product launches.

Strengthening our route-to-market will ensure the ongoing health of our brands. We continue to invest in information technology ("IT") to improve route productivity and data integrity and standards. With third party bottlers, we continue to deliver programs that maintain priority for our brands in their systems.

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Rapid Continuous Improvement.  We have been able to create multi-product manufacturing facilities which provide a region with a wide variety of our products at reduced transportation and co-packing costs. In 2011, we adopted our Rapid Continuous Improvement ("RCI"), which uses Lean and Six Sigma methods to deliver customer value and improve productivity. We believe RCI is a means to achieve revenue and net income growth and increase the amount of cash returned to our stockholders.

OUR BUSINESS OPERATIONS

As of December 31, 2015 , our operating structure consists of three business segments: Beverage Concentrates, Packaged Beverages and Latin America Beverages. Segment financial data for 2015 , 2014 and 2013 , including financial information about foreign and domestic operations, is included in Note 22 of the Notes to our Audited Consolidated Financial Statements .

Beverage Concentrates

Our Beverage Concentrates segment is principally a brand ownership business. In this segment we manufacture and sell beverage concentrates in the U.S. and Canada. Most of the brands in this segment are CSD brands. In 2015 , our Beverage Concentrates segment had net sales of approximately $1,241 million . Key brands include Dr Pepper, Canada Dry, Crush, Schweppes, Sunkist soda, 7UP, A&W, Sun Drop, RC Cola, Squirt, Diet Rite, Vernors and the concentrate form of Hawaiian Punch.

We are the industry leader in flavored CSDs with a 38.8% market share in the U.S. for 2015 (as measured by retail sales) according to Nielsen. We are also the third largest CSD brand owner as measured by 2015 retail sales in the U.S. and Canada and we own a leading brand in most of the CSD categories in which we compete.

Almost all of our beverage concentrates are manufactured at our plant in St. Louis, Missouri.

Beverage concentrates are shipped to third party bottlers, as well as to our own manufacturing systems, who combine them with carbonation, water, sweeteners and other ingredients, package the combined product in PET containers, glass bottles and aluminum cans, and sell them as a finished beverage to retailers. Beverage concentrates are also manufactured into syrup, which is shipped to fountain customers, such as fast food restaurants, who mix the syrup with water and carbonation to create a finished beverage at the point of sale to consumers. Dr Pepper represents most of our fountain channel volume. Concentrate prices historically have been reviewed and adjusted at least on an annual basis.

Our Beverage Concentrates brands are sold by our bottlers, including our own Packaged Beverages segment, through all major retail channels including supermarkets, fountains, mass merchandisers, club stores, vending machines, convenience stores, gas stations, small groceries, drug chains and dollar stores. Unlike the majority of our other CSD brands, 58% of Dr Pepper volumes are distributed through the Coca-Cola affiliated and PepsiCo affiliated bottler systems.

PepsiCo and Coca-Cola are the two largest customers of the Beverage Concentrates segment and constituted approximately 26% and 20% , res pectively, of the segment's net sales during 2015 .

Packaged Beverages

Our Packaged Beverages segment is principally a brand ownership, manufacturing and distribution business. In this segment, we primarily manufacture and distribute packaged beverages and other products, including our brands, third party owned brands and certain private label beverages, in the U.S. and Canada. In 2015 , our Packaged Beverages segment had net sales of approximately $4,544 million . Key NCB brands in this segment include Snapple, Hawaiian Punch, Mott's, Clamato, Yoo-Hoo, FIJI mineral water, Deja Blue, AriZona tea, ReaLemon, Mr and Mrs T mixers, Vita Coco coconut water, Nantucket Nectars, Mistic, Garden Cocktail, Bai brands and Rose's. Key CSD brands in this segment include 7UP, Dr Pepper, A&W, Canada Dry, Sunkist soda, Squirt, RC Cola, Big Red, Vernors, Diet Rite and Sun Drop. 

Approximately 81% of our 2015 Packaged Beverages net sales of branded products come from our own brands, with the remaining from the distribution of third party brands such as Big Red, FIJI mineral water, AriZona tea, Vita Coco coconut water, Bai brands, Neuro drinks, Sparkling Fruit2O and Hydrive energy drinks . Although the majority of our Packaged Beverages net sales relate to our brands, we also provide a route-to-market for these third party brand owners seeking effective distribution for their new and emerging brands. These brands give us exposure in certain markets to fast growing segments of the beverage industry with minimal capital investment. A portion of our sales also comes from bottling beverages and other products for private label owners or others, which is also referred to as contract manufacturing.

Our Packaged Beverages products are manufactured in multiple facilities across the U.S. and are sold or distributed to retailers and their warehouses by our own distribution network or by third party distributors. The raw materials used to manufacture our products include aluminum cans and ends, glass bottles, PET bottles and caps, paper products, sweeteners, juices, water and other ingredients.

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We sell our Packaged Beverages products both through our Direct Store Delivery system ("DSD") and our Warehouse Direct delivery system ("WD"), both of which include the sales to all major retail channels, including supermarkets, fountains, mass merchandisers, club stores, vending machines, convenience stores, gas stations, small groceries, drug chains and dollar stores.

In 2015 , Walmart, the largest customer of our Packaged Beverages segment, accounted for approximately 16% of our net sales in this segment.

Latin America Beverages

Our Latin America Beverages segment is a brand ownership, manufacturing and distribution business. This segment participates mainly in the carbonated mineral water, flavored CSD, bottled water and vegetable juice categories, with particular strength in carbonated mineral water, vegetable juice categories and grapefruit flavored CSDs. In 2015 , our Latin America Beverages segment had net sales of $497 million , with our operations in Mexico representing approximately 90% of the net sales of this segment. Key brands include Peñafiel, Squirt, Aguafiel, Clamato and Crush.

In Mexico, we manufacture and distribute our products through our bottling operations and third party bottlers and distributors. In the Caribbean, we distribute our products through third party bottlers and distributors. We have also begun to distribute certain products in other international jurisdictions through various third party bottlers and distributors. In Mexico, we also participate in a joint venture to manufacture Aguafiel brand water with Acqua Minerale San Benedetto.

We sell our finished beverages through all major Mexican retail channels, including "mom and pop" stores, supermarkets, hypermarkets, convenience stores and on-premise channels.

In 2015 , OXXO and Walmart, the largest customers of our Latin America Beverages segment, accounted for approximately 11% and 10% of our net sales in this segment, respectively.

BOTTLER AND DISTRIBUTOR AGREEMENTS

In the U.S. and Canada, we generally grant perpetual, exclusive licenses for CSD brands and packages to bottlers for specific geographic areas. Many of our brands, such as Snapple, Mistic, Nantucket Nectars, Yoo-Hoo and Orangina, are licensed for distribution in various territories to bottlers and a number of smaller distributors such as beer wholesalers, wine and spirit distributors, independent distributors and retail brokers. These agreements prohibit bottlers and distributors from selling the licensed products outside their exclusive territory and selling any imitative products in that territory. Generally, we may terminate bottling and distribution agreements only for cause or change in control, breach of agreements and the bottler or distributor may terminate without cause upon giving certain specified notice and complying with other applicable conditions. Fountain agreements for bottlers generally are not exclusive for a territory, but do restrict bottlers from carrying imitative product in the territory.

The following chart details the distribution sources of our total 288 fluid ounce cases sold in the U.S. in 2015 :

Agreements with PepsiCo and Coca-Cola

On February 26, 2010, we completed the licensing of certain brands to PepsiCo following PepsiCo's acquisition of Pepsi Bottling Group and PepsiAmericas, Inc. The agreements have an initial period of 20 years with automatic 20-year renewal periods and require PepsiCo to meet certain performance conditions.

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On October 4, 2010, we completed the licensing of certain brands to Coca-Cola following Coca-Cola's acquisition of Coca-Cola Enterprises' North American Bottling Business and executed separate agreements pursuant to which Coca-Cola began offering Dr Pepper and Diet Dr Pepper in local fountain accounts and its Freestyle fountain program. The agreements have an initial period of 20 years with automatic 20-year renewal periods and require Coca-Cola to meet certain performance conditions.

Under a separate agreement, Coca-Cola has agreed to include Dr Pepper and Diet Dr Pepper brands in its Freestyle fountain program. The Freestyle fountain program agreement has a period of 20 years.

CUSTOMERS

We primarily serve two groups of customers: 1) bottlers and distributors and 2) retailers.

Bottlers buy beverage concentrates from us and, in turn, they manufacture, bottle, sell and distribute finished beverages. Bottlers also manufacture an d distribute syrup for the fountain foodservice channel. In addition, bottlers and distributors purchase finished beverages from us and sell them to retail and other customers. We have strong relationships with bottlers affiliated with Coca-Cola and PepsiCo primarily because of the strength and market position of our key Dr Pepper brand.

Retailers also buy finished beverages directly from us. Our portfolio of strong brands, operational scale and experience in the beverage industry has enabled us to maintain strong relationships with major retailers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. In 2015 , our largest retailer was Walmart, representing approximately 12% of our consolidated net sales.

SEASONALITY

The beverage market is subject to some seasonal variations. Our beverage sales are generally higher during the warmer months and also can be influenced by the timing of holidays as well as weather fluctuations.

COMPETITION

The LRB industry is highly competitive and continues to evolve in response to changing consumer preferences. Competition is generally based upon brand recognition, taste, quality, price, availability, selection and convenience. We compete with multinational corporations, such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, with significant financial resources.

We also compete against other large companies, including Nestlé, S.A. ("Nestle"), Kraft Foods Group, Inc. ("Kraft Foods") and The Campbell Soup Company ("Campbell Soup"). These competitors can use their resources and scale to rapidly respond to competitive pressures and changes in consumer preferences by introducing new products, reducing prices or increasing promotional activities. As a bottler and manufacturer, we also compete with a number of smaller bottlers and distributors and a variety of smaller, regional and private label manufacturers, such as The Cott Corporation ("Cott"). Smaller companies may be more innovative, better able to bring new products to market and better able to quickly exploit and serve niche markets. Other bottlers and manufacturers could also expand their contract manufacturing. We also have exposure to some of the faster growing non-carbonated and bottled water segments in the overall LRB market. In Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, we compete with many of these same international companies as well as a number of regional competitors.

Although these bottlers and distributors are our competitors, several of these companies are also our customers as they purchase beverage concentrates from us.

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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND TRADEMARKS

Our Intellectual Property. We possess a variety of intellectual property rights that are important to our business. We rely on a combination of trademarks, copyrights, patents and trade secrets to safeguard our proprietary rights, including our brands and ingredient and production formulas for our products.

Our Trademarks. Our trademark portfolio includes approximately 2,100 registrations and applications in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and other countries. Brands we own through various subsidiaries in various jurisdictions include Dr Pepper, Canada Dry, 7UP, Squirt, Peñafiel, Crush, A&W, Schweppes, RC Cola, Sun Drop, Venom, Hawaiian Punch, Snapple, Mott's, Clamato, Aguafiel, Deja Blue, Mistic, ReaLemon, Mr & Mrs T and Nantucket Nectars. We own trademark registrations for most of these brands in the U.S., and we own trademark registrations for some but not all of these brands in Canada, Mexico and other countries. We also own trademark registrations for a number of smaller regional brands. Some of our other trademark registrations are in countries where we do not currently have any significant level of business. In addition, in many countries outside the U.S., Canada and Mexico, our rights to many of our CSD brands, including our Dr Pepper trademark and formula, were sold by Cadbury beginning over a decade ago to third parties including, in certain cases, to competitors such as Coca-Cola.

Trademarks Licensed from Others.  We license various trademarks from third parties, which generally allow us to manufacture and distribute certain products or brands throughout the U.S. and/or Canada and Mexico. For example, we license from third parties the Sunkist soda, Stewart's, Rose's, Orangina and Margaritaville trademarks. Although these licenses vary in length and other terms, they generally are long-term, cover the entire U.S. and/or Canada and Mexico and generally include a royalty payment to the licensor.

Licensed Distribution Rights for our Allied Brands.  We have rights in certain territories to bottle and/or distribute various brands we do not own. Some of these arrangements are relatively shorter in term and limited in geographic scope, and the licensor may be able to terminate the agreement upon an agreed period of notice, in some cases without payment to us. Our Allied Brand portfolio includes, but is not limited to, the following brands:

Intellectual Property We License to Others. We license some of our intellectual property, including trademarks, to others. For example, we license the Dr Pepper trademark to certain companies for use in connection with food, confectionery and other products. We also license certain brands, such as Dr Pepper and Snapple, to third parties for use in beverages in certain countries where we own the brand but do not otherwise operate our business.

MARKETING

Our marketing strategy is to grow our brands through continuously providing new solutions to meet consumers' changing preferences and needs. We identify these preferences and needs and then develop innovative consumer and shopper programs to address the opportunities. Solutions include new and reformulated products, improved packaging design, pricing and enhanced availability. We use advertising, sponsorships, merchandising, public relations, promotions and social media to provide maximum impact for our brands and messages. We also apply a marketing return on investment analysis to ensure we focus our marketing spend in a manner to drive profitable and sustainable growth in our key brands.

MANUFACTURING

As of December 31, 2015 , we operated 21 manufacturing facilities across the U.S. and Mexico. Almost all of our CSD beverage concentrates are manufactured at a single plant in St. Louis, Missouri. All of our manufacturing facilities are either regional manufacturing facilities, with the capacity and capabilities to manufacture many brands and packages, facilities with particular capabilities that are dedicated to certain brands or products, or smaller bottling plants with a more limited range of packaging capabilities.

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We have a variety of production capabilities, including hot-fill, cold-fill and aseptic bottling processes, and we manufacture beverages in a variety of packaging materials, including aluminum, glass and PET cans and bottles and a variety of package formats, including single-serve and multi-serve packages and "bag-in-box" fountain syrup packaging.

In 2015 , 91% of our manufactured volumes came from our brands and 9% from third party and private-label products. We also use third party manufacturers to package our products for us on a limited basis.

RAW MATERIALS

The principal raw materials we use in our business, which we commonly refer to as ingredients and packaging costs, are aluminum cans and ends, glass bottles, PET bottles and caps, paper products, sweeteners, juice, fruit, water and other ingredients. These ingredients and packaging costs can fluctuate substantially. As it relates to our costs of sales, these costs make up a significant portion of our costs, as shown below.

In addition, we are significantly impacted by changes in fuel costs, which can also fluctuate substantially, due to the large truck fleet we operate in our distribution businesses. Under many of our supply arrangements for these raw materials, the price we pay fluctuates along with certain changes in underlying commodities costs, such as aluminum in the case of cans, natural gas in the case of glass bottles, resin in the case of PET bottles and caps, corn in the case of sweeteners and pulp in the case of paperboard packaging. When appropriate, we mitigate the exposure to volatility in the prices of certain commodities used in our production process through the use of forward contracts and supplier pricing agreements. The intent of the contracts and agreements is to provide a certain level of short-term predictability in our operating margins and our overall cost structure, while remaining in what we believe to be a competitive cost position.

Manufacturing costs for our Packaged Beverages segment, where we manufacture and bottle finished beverages, are higher as a percentage of our net sales than our Beverage Concentrates segment, as the Packaged Beverages segment requires the purchase of a much larger portion of the ingredients and packaging. Although we have contracts with a relatively small number of suppliers, we have generally not experienced any difficulties in obtaining the required amount of raw materials.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Our research and development team is composed of scientists and engineers in the U.S. and Mexico who are focused on developing high quality products which have broad consumer appeal, can be sold at competitive prices and can be safely and consistently produced across a diverse manufacturing network. Our research and development team engages in activities relating to product development, microbiology, analytical chemistry, process engineering, sensory science, nutrition, knowledge management and regulatory compliance. We have particular expertise in flavors and sweeteners, which allows us to focus our research in areas of importance to the industry, such as new sweetener development. Refer to Note 2 of the Notes to our Audited Consolidated Financial Statements for further information.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

We use a variety of IT systems and networks configured to meet our business needs. Our primary IT data center is hosted in Toronto, Canada by a third party provider. We also use a third party vendor for application support and maintenance, which is based in India and provides resources offshore and onshore.

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EMPLOYEES

As of December 31, 2015 , we employed approximately 19,000  e mployees.

In the U.S., we have approximately 16,000 full-time employees. We have union collective bargaining agreements covering approximately 4,000 full-time employees. Several agreements cover multiple locations. These agreements address working conditions as well as wage rates and benefits. In Mexico and the Caribbean, we employ approximately 3,000  fu ll-time employees, with approximately 2,000 employees party to collective bargaining agreements. We do not have a significant number of employees in Canada or overseas.

We believe we have good relations with our employees.

REGULATORY MATTERS

We are subject to a variety of federal, state and local laws and regulations in the countries in which we do business. Regulations apply to many aspects of our business, including our products and their ingredients, manufacturing, safety, labeling, transportation, recycling, advertising and sale. For example, our products and their manufacturing, labeling, marketing and sale in the U.S. are subject to various aspects of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the Federal Trade Commission Act, the Lanham Act, state consumer protection laws and state warning and labeling laws. In Canada and Mexico, the manufacture, distribution, marketing and sale of many of our products are also subject to similar statutes and regulations. Additionally, the government of Mexico enacted broad based tax reform, including a one peso per liter tax on the manufacturing of certain sugar-sweetened beverages, which went into effect January 1, 2014.

We and our bottlers use various refillable and non-refillable, recyclable bottles and cans in the U.S. and other countries. Various states and other authorities require deposits, eco-taxes or fees on certain containers. Similar legislation or regulations may be proposed in the future at local, state and federal levels, both in the U.S. and elsewhere. In Mexico, the government has encouraged the soft drink industry to comply voluntarily with collection and recycling programs of plastic material, and we are in compliance with these programs.

ENVIRONMENTAL, HEALTH AND SAFETY MATTERS

In the normal course of our business, we are subject to a variety of federal, state and local environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. We maintain environmental, health and safety policies and a quality, environmental, health and safety program designed to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The cost of such compliance measures does not have a material financial impact on our operations.

AVAILABLE INFORMATION

Our web site address is www.drpeppersnapplegroup.com. Information on our web site is not incorporated by reference in this document. We make available, free of charge through this web site, our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (" SEC ").

MARKET AND INDUSTRY DATA

The market and industry data in this Annual Report on Form 10-K is from Nielsen, an independent industry source, and is based on retail dollar sales and sales volumes in 2015 . Although we believe that this independent source is reliable, we have not verified the accuracy or completeness of this data or any assumptions underlying such data. Nielsen is a marketing information provider, primarily serving consumer packaged goods manufacturers and retailers. We use Nielsen data as our primary management tool to track market performance because it has broad and deep data coverage, is based on consumer transactions at retailers, and is reported to us monthly. Nielsen data provides measurement and analysis of marketplace trends such as market share, retail pricing, promotional activity and distribution across various channels, retailers and geographies. Measured categories provided to us by Nielsen Scantrack include CSDs, energy drinks, carbonated waters, non-alcoholic mixers and NCBs, including ready-to-drink teas, single-serve and multi-serve juice and juice drinks, sports drinks and still waters. Nielsen also provides data on other food items such as apple sauce. Nielsen data we present in this report is from Nielsen's Scantrack service, which compiles data based on scanner transactions in key retail channels, including grocery stores, mass merchandisers (including Walmart), drug chains, convenience stores and gas stations. However, this data does not include the fountain or vending channels, or small independent retail outlets, which together represent a meaningful portion of the U.S. LRB market and of our net sales and volume.

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RISKS RELATED TO OUR BUSINESS

In addition to the other information set forth in this report, you should carefully consider the risks described below, which could materially affect our business, financial condition or future results. Any of the following risks, as well as other risks and uncertainties, could harm our business and financial condition.

We may not effectively respond to changing consumer preferences, trends, health concerns and other factors.

Consumers' preferences can change due to a variety of factors, including the age and ethnic demographics of the population, social trends, negative publicity, economic downturn or other factors. For example, consumers are increasingly concerned about health and wellness, focusing on the caloric intake associated with regular CSDs, the use of artificial sweeteners in diet CSDs and the use of natural, organic or simple ingredients in LRB products. As such, the demand for CSDs has decreased as consumers have shifted towards NCBs, such as water, ready-to-drink teas and sports drinks. If we do not effectively anticipate these trends and changing consumer preferences and quickly develop new products or partner with an allied brand in that category in response, then our sales could suffer. Developing and launching new products can be risky and expensive. We may not be successful in responding to changing markets and consumer preferences, and some of our competitors may be better able to respond to these changes, either of which could negatively affect our business and financial performance.

We operate in highly competitive markets.

The LRB industry is highly competitive and continues to evolve in response to changing consumer preferences. Competition is generally based upon brand recognition, taste, quality, price, availability, selection and convenience. Brand recognition can also be impacted by the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns and marketing programs, as well as our use of social media. We compete with multinational corporations with significant financial resources. Our two largest competitors in the LRB market are Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, which represent approximately 46% o f the U.S. LRB market by retail sales, according to Nielsen. We also compete against other large companies, including Nestle, Kraft Foods and Campbell Soup. These competitors can use their resources and scale to rapidly respond to competitive pressures and changes in consumer preferences by introducing new products, changing their route to market, reducing prices or increasing promotional activities. As a bottler and manufacturer, we also compete with a number of smaller bottlers and distributors and a variety of smaller, regional and private label manufacturers, such as Cott. Smaller companies may be more innovative, better able to bring new products to market and better able to quickly exploit and serve niche markets. We also compete for contract manufacturing with other bottlers and manufacturers. We have lower exposure to energy drinks, some of the faster growing NCBs and the bottled water segments in the overall LRB market. In Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, we compete with many of these same international companies as well as a number of regional competitors.

If we are unable to compete effectively, our sales could decline. As a result, we would potentially reduce our prices or increase our spending on marketing, advertising and product innovation, which could negatively affect our business and financial performance.

We depend on a small number of large retailers for a significant portion of our sales.

Food and beverage retailers in the U.S. have been consolidating, resulting in large, sophisticated retailers with increased buying power. They are in a better position to resist our price increases and demand lower prices. They also have leverage to require us to provide larger, more tailored promotional and product delivery programs. If we and our bottlers and distributors do not successfully provide appropriate marketing, product, packaging, pricing and service to these retailers, our product availability, sales and margins could suffer. Certain retailers make up a significant percentage of our products' retail volume, including volume sold by our bottlers and distributors. Some retailers also offer their own private label products that compete with some of our brands. The loss of sales of any of our products by a major retailer could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial performance.

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We depend on third party bottling and distribution companies for a portion of our business.

Net sales from our Beverage Concentrates segment represent sales of beverage concentrates to third party bottling companies that we do not own. The Beverage Concentrates segment's operations generate a significant portion of our overall segment operating profit ("SOP"). Some of these bottlers, such as PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, are also our competitors. The majority of these bottlers' business comes from selling either their own products or our competitors' products. In addition, some of the products we manufacture are distributed by third parties. As independent companies, these bottlers and distributors make their own business decisions. They may have the right to determine whether, and to what extent, they produce and distribute our products, our competitors' products and their own products. They may devote more resources to other products or take other actions detrimental to our brands. In most cases, they are able to terminate their bottling and distribution arrangements with us without cause. We may need to increase support for our brands in their territories and may not be able to pass on price increases to them. Their financial condition could also be adversely affected by conditions beyond our control, and our business could suffer as a result. Deteriorating economic conditions could negatively impact the financial viability of third party bottlers. Any of these factors could negatively affect our business and financial performance.

Costs for commodities, such as raw materials and energy, may change substantially.

The principal raw materials we use in our products are aluminum cans and ends, glass bottles, PET bottles and caps, paperboard packaging, sweeteners, juice, fruit, water and other ingredients. The cost of such raw materials can fluctuate substantially. Under many of our supply arrangements, the price we pay for raw materials fluctuates along with certain changes in underlying commodities costs, such as aluminum in the case of cans, natural gas in the case of glass bottles, resin in the case of PET bottles and caps, corn in the case of sweeteners and pulp in the case of paperboard packaging.

In addition, we use a significant amount of energy in our business. We are significantly impacted by changes in fuel costs due to the large truck fleet we operate in our distribution businesses and our use of third party carriers. Additionally, conversion of raw materials into our products for sale uses electricity and natural gas.

Price increases could exert pressure on our costs and we may not be able to effectively hedge or pass along any such increases to our customers or consumers. Price increases we pass along to our customers or consumers could reduce demand for our products. Such increases could negatively affect our business and financial performance. Furthermore, price decreases in commodities that we have effectively hedged could also increase our cost of goods sold for mark-to-market changes in the derivative instruments.

New or proposed beverage taxes or regulations could impact our sales.

During the fourth quarter of 2013, the government of Mexico enacted broad based tax reform, including a one peso per liter tax on the manufacturing of certain sugar-sweetened beverages, which went into effect January 1, 2014, as a result of concerns about the public health consequences and health care costs associated with obesity. During the fourth quarter of 2014, the city of Berkeley, California enacted a one cent per ounce tax on the distribution of certain sugar-sweetened beverages, which went into effect March 1, 2015. Federal, state, and other local and foreign governments could also impose taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages as a result of these concerns. Additionally, local and regional governments and school boards have enacted, or have proposed to enact, regulations restricting the sale of certain types or sizes of soft drinks in municipalities and schools as a result of these concerns. Any changes of regulations or imposed taxes may reduce consumer demand for our products or could cause us to raise our prices, both of which could have a material adverse effect on our profitability and negatively affect our business and financial performance.

Determinations in the future that a significant impairment of the value of our goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets has occurred could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

As of December 31, 2015 , we had $8,869 million of total assets, of which approximately $5,651 million were goodwill and other intangible assets. Intangible assets include both definite and indefinite-lived intangible assets in connection with brands, distribution rights and customer relationships. We conduct impairment tests on goodwill and all indefinite-lived intangible assets annually, as of October 1, or more frequently if circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. If the carrying amount of an intangible asset exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess. We recorded a $7 million impairment charge for our Garden Cocktail brand as of October 1, 2015. There was no other impairment charge required based upon our annual impairment analysis performed as of October 1, 2015 . For additional information about these intangible assets, see "Critical Accounting Estimates - Goodwill and Other Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," in Item 7 and Note 2 and 7 to our Audited Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8, "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data," in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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The impairment tests require us to make an estimate of the fair value of our reporting units and other intangible assets. An impairment could be recorded as a result of changes in assumptions, estimates or circumstances, some of which are beyond our control. Factors which could result in an impairment include, but are not limited to: (i) reduced demand for our products and/or the product category; (ii) higher commodity prices; (iii) lower prices for our products or increased marketing as a result of increased competition; (iv) significant disruptions to our operations as a result of both internal and external events; and (v) changes in our discount rates. Since a number of factors may influence determinations of fair value of intangible assets, we are unable to predict whether impairments of goodwill or other indefinite-lived intangibles will occur in the future. Any such impairment would result in us recognizing a non-cash charge in our Consolidated Statements of Income, which could adversely affect our results of operations and increase our effective tax rate.

Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates in Mexico and Canada may adversely affect our operating results.

While our operations are predominately in the U.S., we are exposed to foreign currency exchange rate risk with respect to our sales, expenses, profits, assets and liabilities denominated in the Mexican peso or the Canadian dollar. We manage a small portion of our exposure to the Canadian dollar for certain transactions utilizing derivative instruments and are not protected against most foreign currency fluctuations. As a result, our financial performance may be affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates. Moreover, any favorable or unfavorable impacts to gross profit, gross margin, income from operations or segment operating profit from fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates are likely to be inconsistent year over year.

Our financial results may be negatively impacted by recession, financial and credit market disruptions and other economic conditions.

Changes in economic and financial conditions in the U.S., Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean may negatively impact consumer confidence and consumer spending, which could result in a reduction in our sales volume and/or switching to lower price offerings. Similarly, disruptions in financial and credit markets worldwide may impact our ability to manage normal commercial relationships with our customers, suppliers and creditors. These disruptions could have a negative impact on the ability of our customers to timely pay their obligations to us, thus reducing our cash flow, or the ability of our vendors to timely supply materials. Additionally, these disruptions could have a negative effect on our ability to raise capital through the issuance of unsecured commercial paper or senior notes.

We could also face increased counterparty risk for our cash investments and our hedging arrangements. Declines in the securities and credit markets could also affect our marketable securities and pension fund, which in turn could increase funding requirements.

Our total indebtedness, excluding capital lease obligations, could affect our operations and profitability.

We maintain levels of debt we consider prudent based on our actual and expected cash flows. As of December 31, 2015 , our total indebtedness was $3,382 million .

This amount of debt could have important consequences to us and our investors, including:

While we believe we will have the ability to service our debt and will have access to additional sources of capital in the future if and when needed, that will depend upon our results of operations and financial position at the time, the then-current state of the credit and financial markets and other factors that may be beyond our control.

Increases in our cost of benefits in the future could reduce our profitability.

Our profitability is substantially affected by costs for employee health care, pension and other retirement programs and other benefits. In recent years, these costs have increased significantly due to factors such as increases in health care costs, declines in investment returns on pension assets and changes in discount rates used to calculate pension and related liabilities. These factors plus the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in March 2010 will continue to put pressure on our business and financial performance. Although we actively seek to control increases in costs, there can be no assurance that we will succeed in limiting future cost increases, and continued upward pressure in costs could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial performance.

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We depend on key information systems and third party service providers.

We depend on key information systems to accurately and efficiently transact our business, provide information to management and prepare financial reports. We rely on third party providers for a number of key information systems and business processing services, including hosting our primary data center and processing various benefit-related accounting and transactional services. These systems and services are vulnerable to interruptions or other failures resulting from, among other things, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, software, equipment or telecommunications failures, processing errors, computer viruses, other security issues or supplier defaults. Security, backup and disaster recovery measures may not be adequate or implemented properly to avoid such disruptions or failures. Any disruption or failure of these systems or services could cause substantial errors, processing inefficiencies, security breaches, inability to use the systems or process transactions, loss of customers or other business disruptions, all of which could negatively affect our business and financial performance.

As cybersecurity attacks continue to evolve and increase, our information systems could also be penetrated or compromised by internal and external parties intent on extracting confidential information, disrupting business processes or corrupting information. These risks could arise from external parties or from acts or omissions of internal or service provider personnel. Such unauthorized access could disrupt our business and could result in the loss of assets, litigation, remediation costs, damage to our reputation and failure to retain or attract customers following such an event, which could adversely affect our business.

Litigation or legal proceedings could expose us to significant liabilities and damage our reputation.

We are party to various litigation claims and legal proceedings which may include employment, tort, real estate, commercial and other litigation. From time to time we are a defendant in class action litigation, including litigation regarding employment practices, product labeling, and wage and hour laws. Plaintiffs in class action litigation may seek to recover amounts which are large and may be indeterminable for some period of time. We evaluate litigation claims and legal proceedings to assess the likelihood of unfavorable outcomes and estimate, if possible, the amount of potential losses. We will establish a reserve as appropriate based upon assessments and estimates in accordance with our accounting policies. We base our assessments, estimates and disclosures on the information available to us at the time and rely on legal and management judgment. Actual outcomes or losses may differ materially from assessments and estimates. Costs to defend litigation claims and legal proceedings and the cost of actual settlements, judgments or resolutions of these claims and legal proceedings may negatively affect our business and financial performance. Any adverse publicity resulting from allegations made in litigation claims or legal proceedings may also adversely affect our reputation, which in turn could adversely affect our results.

Certain raw materials we use are available from a limited number of suppliers and shortages could occur.

Some raw materials we use, such as aluminum cans and ends, glass bottles, PET bottles, sweeteners, fruit, juice and other ingredients, are sourced from industries characterized by a limited supply base. If our suppliers are unable or unwilling to meet our requirements, we could suffer shortages or substantial cost increases. Changing suppliers can require long lead times. The failure of our suppliers to meet our needs could occur for many reasons, including fires, natural disasters, weather, manufacturing problems, disease, crop failure, strikes, transportation interruption, government regulation, political instability, cybersecurity attacks and terrorism. A failure of supply could also occur due to suppliers' financial difficulties, including bankruptcy. Some of these risks may be more acute where the supplier or its plant is located in riskier or less-developed countries or regions. Any significant interruption to supply or cost increase could substantially harm our business and financial performance.

Substantial disruption to production at our manufacturing and distribution facilities could occur.

A disruption in production at our beverage concentrates manufacturing facility, which manufactures almost all of our concentrates, could have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, a disruption could occur at any of our other facilities or those of our suppliers, bottlers or distributors. The disruption could occur for many reasons, including fire, natural disasters, weather, water scarcity, manufacturing problems, disease, strikes, transportation or supply interruption, government regulation, cybersecurity attacks or terrorism. Alternative facilities with sufficient capacity or capabilities may not be available, may cost substantially more or may take a significant time to start production, each of which could negatively affect our business and financial performance.

We may fail to comply with applicable government laws and regulations.

We are subject to a variety of federal, state and local laws and regulations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and other countries in which we do business. These laws and regulations apply to many aspects of our business including the manufacture, safety, labeling, transportation, advertising and sale of our products. See "Regulatory Matters" in Item 1, "Business," of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information regarding many of these laws and regulations.

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Violations of these laws or regulations in the manufacture, safety, labeling, transportation and advertising of our products could damage our reputation and/or result in regulatory actions with substantial penalties. In addition, any significant change in such laws or regulations or their interpretation, or the introduction of higher standards or more stringent laws or regulations, could result in increased compliance costs or capital expenditures. For example, changes in recycling and bottle deposit laws or special taxes on soft drinks or ingredients could increase our costs. Regulatory focus on the health, safety and marketing of food products is increasing. Certain federal or state regulations or laws affecting the labeling of our products , such as California's "Prop 65," which requires warnings on any product with substances that the state lists as potentially causing cancer or birth defects, are or could become applicable to our products.

Weather, climate change legislation and the availability of water could adversely affect our business.

Unseasonable or unusual weather or long-term climate changes may negatively impact the price or availability of raw materials, energy and fuel, and demand for our products. Unusually cool weather during the summer months may result in reduced demand for our products and have a negative effect on our business and financial performance.

There is growing political and scientific sentiment that increased concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are influencing global weather patterns ("global warming"). Concern over climate change, including global warming, has led to legislative and regulatory initiatives directed at limiting greenhouse gas ("GHG") emissions. For example, proposals that would impose mandatory requirements on GHG emissions continue to be considered by policy makers in the countries in which we operate. Laws enacted that directly or indirectly affect our production, distribution, packaging, cost of raw materials, fuel, ingredients and water could all negatively impact our business and financial results.

We also may be faced with water availability risks. Water is the main ingredient in substantially all of our products. Climate change may cause water scarcity and a deterioration of water quality in areas where we maintain operations. The competition for water among domestic, agricultural and manufacturing users is increasing in the countries where we operate, and as water becomes scarcer or the quality of the water deteriorates, we may incur increased production costs or face manufacturing constraints which could negatively affect our business and financial performance. Even where water is widely available, water purification and waste treatment infrastructure limitations could increase costs or constrain our operations.

Our products may not meet health and safety standards or could become contaminated.

We have adopted various quality, environmental, health and safety standards. However, our products may not meet these standards or could become contaminated. A failure to meet these standards or contamination could occur in our operations or those of our bottlers, distributors or suppliers. This could result in expensive production interruptions, recalls, liability claims and negative publicity. Moreover, negative publicity also could be generated from false, unfounded or nominal liability claims or limited recalls. Any of these failures or occurrences could negatively affect our business and financial performance.

Fluctuations in our effective tax rate may result in volatility in our operating results.

We are subject to income taxes in many U.S. and certain foreign jurisdictions. Income tax expense includes a provision for uncertain tax positions. At any one time, many tax years are subject to audit by various taxing jurisdictions. As these audits and negotiations progress, events may occur that change our expectation about how the audit will ultimately be resolved. As a result, there could be ongoing variability in our quarterly and/or annual tax rates as events occur that cause a change in our provision for uncertain tax positions. In addition, our effective tax rate in any given financial statement period may be significantly impacted by changes in the mix and level of earnings or by changes to existing accounting rules, tax regulations or interpretations of existing law. In addition, tax legislation may be enacted in the future, domestically or abroad, that impacts our effective tax rate.

We may not be able to renew collective bargaining agreements on satisfactory terms, or we could experience strikes.

As of December 31, 2015 , approximately 6,000 of our employees, many of whom are at our key manufacturing locations, were covered by collective bargaining agreements. These agreements typically expire every three to four years at various dates. We may not be able to renew our collective bargaining agreements on satisfactory terms or at all. This could result in strikes or work stoppages, which could impair our ability to manufacture and distribute our products and result in a substantial loss of sales. The terms of existing or renewed agreements could also significantly increase our costs or negatively affect our ability to increase operational efficiency.

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Our intellectual property rights could be infringed or we could infringe the intellectual property rights of others, and adverse events regarding licensed intellectual property, including termination of distribution rights, could harm our business.

We possess intellectual property that is important to our business. This intellectual property includes ingredient formulas, trademarks, copyrights, patents, business processes and other trade secrets. See "Intellectual Property and Trademarks" in Item 1, "Business," of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information. We and third parties, including competitors, could come into conflict over intellectual property rights. Litigation could disrupt our business, divert management attention and cost a substantial amount to protect our rights or defend ourselves against claims. We cannot be certain that the steps we take to protect our rights will be sufficient or that others will not infringe or misappropriate our rights. If we are unable to protect our intellectual property rights, our brands, products and business could be harmed.

We also license various trademarks from third parties and license our trademarks to third parties. In some countries, other companies own a particular trademark which we own in the U.S., Canada or Mexico. For example, the Dr Pepper trademark and formula is owned by Coca-Cola in certain other countries. Adverse events affecting those third parties or their products could affect our use of these trademarks or negatively impact our brands.

In some cases, we license products from third parties that we distribute. The licensor may be able to terminate the license arrangement upon an agreed period of notice, in some cases without payment to us of any termination fee. The termination of any material license arrangement could adversely affect our business and financial performance.

Our facilities and operations may require substantial investment and upgrading.

We have an ongoing program of investment and upgrading in our manufacturing, distribution and other facilities. We expect to incur significant costs to upgrade or keep up-to-date various facilities and equipment or restructure our operations, including closing existing facilities or opening new ones. If our investment and restructuring costs are higher than anticipated or our business does not develop as anticipated to appropriately utilize new or upgraded facilities, our costs and financial performance could be negatively affected.

Our distribution agreements with our allied brands could be terminated.

Approximately 81% of our 2015 Packaged Beverages net sales of branded products come from our owned and licensed brands, with the remaining from the distribution of third party brands such as, but not limited to, Big Red, FIJI mineral water, AriZona tea, Vita Coco coconut water, Bai brands, Neuro drinks, Sparkling Fruit 2 O, Body Armor and Hydrive energy drinks . We are subject to a risk of our allied brands terminating their distribution agreements with us, which could negatively affect our business and financial performance.

We could lose key personnel or may be unable to recruit qualified personnel.

Our performance significantly depends upon the continued contributions of our executive officers and key employees, both individually and as a group, and our ability to retain and motivate them. Our officers and key personnel have many years of experience with us and in our industry and it may be difficult to replace them. If we lose key personnel or are unable to recruit qualified personnel, our operations and ability to manage our business may be adversely affected. We do not have "key person" life insurance for any of our executive officers or key employees.

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