SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED DECEMBER 14, 2009

 

Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)
Registration No. 333-163697

 

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
(To Prospectus dated December 14, 2009)

 

$     

 

 

$          % SENIOR NOTES DUE 2011

$          % SENIOR NOTES DUE 2012

 

 

 

 

The 2011 Notes will mature on          , 2011 and the 2012 Notes will mature on          , 2012. The 2011 Notes will bear interest at the rate of     % per year and the 2012 Notes will bear interest at the rate of     % per year. Interest on each series of Notes is payable on           and           of each year, beginning on          , 2010. We may redeem either series of Notes in whole or in part at any time at the applicable redemption prices set forth under “Description of the Notes — Optional Redemption.” If we experience a change of control repurchase event, we may be required to offer to purchase the Notes from holders.

 

The Notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by our existing and future subsidiaries that guarantee any of our other indebtedness. At the time of issuance, the Notes will be guaranteed by all of our domestic subsidiaries (except two immaterial subsidiaries associated with our charitable foundations).

 

The Notes and the subsidiary guarantees thereof will be unsecured obligations and will rank equally with all our and our subsidiary guarantors’ existing and future unsecured senior debt.

 

 

 

 

See “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-8 for a discussion of certain risks that you should consider in connection with an investment in the Notes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of the securities or determined that this prospectus supplement or any of the accompanying prospectus is accurate or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

The underwriters expect to deliver the Notes to purchasers through the book-entry delivery system of The Depository Trust Company and its participants, including Clearstream and the Euroclear System, on or about          , 2009.

 

 

 

 

Joint Book-Running Managers

 

 

 

 

 

 

The date of this prospectus supplement is          , 2009.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

This document is in two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which contains the terms of this offering of Notes. The second part is the prospectus dated December 14, 2009, which is part of our Registration Statement on Form S-3.

 

This prospectus supplement may add to, update or change the information in the accompanying prospectus. If information in this prospectus supplement is inconsistent with information in the accompanying prospectus, this prospectus supplement will apply and will supersede that information in the accompanying prospectus.

 

It is important for you to read and consider all information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus in making your investment decision. You should also read and consider the information in the documents to which we have referred you in “Where You Can Find More Information” in the accompanying prospectus.

 

No person is authorized to give any information or to make any representations other than those contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus and, if given or made, such information or representations must not be relied upon as having been authorized. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the securities described in this prospectus supplement or an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy such securities in any circumstances in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. Neither the delivery of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, nor any sale made hereunder, shall under any circumstances create any implication that there has been no change in our affairs since the date of this prospectus supplement, or that the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus is correct as of any time subsequent to the date of such information.

 

The distribution of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and the offering of the Notes in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus do not constitute an offer, or an invitation on our behalf or the underwriters or any of them, to subscribe to or purchase any of the Notes, and may not be used for or in connection with an offer or solicitation by anyone, in any jurisdiction in which such an offer or solicitation is not authorized or to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such an offer or solicitation. See “Underwriting.”

 

In this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, unless otherwise stated, references to “DPS,” “the Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. and all entities included in its consolidated financial statements, except where otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires.

 

This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), including, in particular, statements about future events, future financial performance, plans, strategies, expectations, prospects, competitive environment, regulation and availability of raw materials. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts and can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as the words “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “plan,” “intend” or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current views with respect to future events and financial performance. Our actual financial performance could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty of estimates, forecasts and projections, and our financial performance may be better or worse than anticipated. Given these uncertainties, you should not put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements.

 

Forward-looking statements represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date that they were made. We do not undertake any duty to update the forward-looking statements, and the estimates and assumptions associated with them, except to the extent required by applicable securities laws. All of the forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the factors discussed in Item 1A under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, as amended by our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 11, 2009, and our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). These risk factors may not be exhaustive as we operate in a continually changing business environment with new risks emerging from time to time that we are unable to predict or that we currently do not expect to have a material adverse effect on our business. You should carefully read those reports in their entirety as they contain important information about our business and the risks we face.

 

Our forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including:

 

 

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY

	•	#1 flavored CSD company in the United States
	•	More than 75% of our volume from brands that are either #1 or #2 in their category
	•	#3 North American liquid refreshment beverage business
	•	$5.7 billion of net sales in 2008 from the United States (89%), Canada (4%) and Mexico and the Caribbean (7%)

	•	On May 1, 2008, Cadbury plc became the parent company of Cadbury Schweppes.
	•	On May 7, 2008, Cadbury plc transferred its Americas Beverages business to us and we became an independent publicly-traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “DPS”. In return for the transfer of the Americas Beverages business, we distributed our common stock to Cadbury plc shareholders.

Issuer		Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.
Securities Offered		$      aggregate principal amount of     % Senior Notes due 2011 (the “2011 Notes”)
		$      aggregate principal amount of     % Senior Notes due 2012 (the “2012 Notes” and, together with the 2011 Notes, the “Notes”)
Maturity		The 2011 Notes will mature on          , 2011 and the 2012 Notes will mature on          , 2012.
Interest		Interest on the Notes will accrue from          , 2010 and will be payable on           and           of each year, beginning          , 2010.
Option Redemption		We may redeem the Notes of either series, in whole or in part from time to time, at our option, at a redemption price equal to the greater of
		• 100% of the principal amount of the Notes being redeemed; and
		• the sum of the present value of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest in respect of the Notes being redeemed (exclusive of interest accrued to the date of redemption) discounted to the redemption date on a semi-annual basis (assuming a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months), at the Treasury Rate (as defined herein) plus           basis points in the case of 2011 Notes and          basis points in the case of 2012 Notes,
		plus, in each case, accrued and unpaid interest to the date of redemption. See “Description of the Notes — Optional Redemption.”
Offer to Repurchase Upon Change of Control Triggering Event		Upon the occurrence of a “Change of Control Triggering Event” (as defined herein), we will be required, unless we have exercised our right to redeem the Notes, within a specified period, to make an offer to purchase all Notes at a price equal to 101% of the principal amount, plus any accrued and unpaid interest to the date of repurchase. See “Description of the Notes — Offer to Repurchase Upon a Change of Control Triggering Event.”
Guarantees		The Notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by our existing and future subsidiaries that guarantee any of our other indebtedness. At the time of issuance, the Notes will be guaranteed by all of our domestic subsidiaries (except two immaterial subsidiaries associated with our charitable foundations).
Ranking		The Notes will be our unsecured and unsubordinated obligations and will rank equally with all of our current and future unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness, including any borrowings under our senior credit facility, and senior to all of our future subordinated debt. The guarantees will be the subsidiary guarantors’ unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness, including their guarantees of the senior credit facility, and senior to all of the subsidiary guarantors’ future subordinated debt. The Notes

		and the guarantees will effectively rank junior to any of our and the subsidiary guarantors’ current and future secured indebtedness to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness. As of September 30, 2009, we had no secured indebtedness.
		The Notes will not be guaranteed by all of our subsidiaries and will therefore be effectively subordinated to all existing and future liabilities of our subsidiaries that are not guaranteeing the Notes (excluding any amounts owed by such subsidiaries to us). For the nine months ended September 30, 2009 and for the year ended December 31, 2008, our non-guarantor subsidiaries accounted for $364 million and $587 million of our consolidated net sales and $77 million and $123 million of our consolidated income from operations. As of September 30, 2009, the total liabilities of our non-guarantor subsidiaries was approximately $91 million, including trade payables, and the total assets of such subsidiaries was approximately $543 million.
Certain Covenants		The indenture governing the Notes will, among other things, limit our ability to:
		• incur indebtedness secured by principal properties;
		• enter into certain sale and leaseback transactions with respect to principal properties; and
		• enter into certain mergers, consolidations and transfers of substantially all of our assets.
		The above restrictions are subject to significant exceptions. See “Description of the Notes — Certain Covenants.”
Form and Denomination		We will issue the Notes in the form of one or more fully registered global notes registered in the name of the nominee of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”). Beneficial interests in the Notes will be represented through book-entry accounts of financial institutions acting on behalf of beneficial owners as direct and indirect participants in DTC. Clearstream Banking, société anonyme and Euroclear Bank, S.A./ N.V., as operator of the Euroclear System, will hold interests on behalf of their participants through their respective United States (“U.S.”) depositaries, which in turn will hold such interests in accounts as participants of DTC. Except in the limited circumstances described in this prospectus supplement, owners of beneficial interests in the Notes will not be entitled to have Notes registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive Notes in definitive form and will not be considered holders of Notes under the indenture. The Notes will be issued only in denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof.
Further Issues		We may from time to time, without notice to or the consent of the holders of the Notes of either series, create and issue additional debt securities having the same terms as and ranking equally and ratably with the Notes of a series in all respects, as described under “Description of the Notes — Further Issues.”
Use of Proceeds		We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering to pay down existing indebtedness under our senior unsecured term loan A facility. See “Use of Proceeds.”

Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations		See “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.”
Risk Factors		Investing in the Notes involves risks. See “Risk Factors” for a description of certain risks you should particularly consider before investing in the Notes.
Governing Law		The indenture and the Notes will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
Trustee		Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.

		Nine Months
		Ended September 30,								Year Ended December 31,
		2009				2008				2008				2007				2006
		(unaudited)
		(in millions)
Statement of Operations Data:
Net sales		$	4,175			$	4,334			$	5,710			$	5,695			$	4,700
Cost of sales			1,706				1,968				2,590				2,564				1,959
Gross profit			2,469				2,366				3,120				3,131				2,741
Selling, general and administrative expenses			1,596				1,586				2,075				2,018				1,659
Depreciation and amortization			84				84				113				98				69
Restructuring costs			—				—				57				76				27
Impairment of intangible assets			—				31				1,039				6				—
Other operating expense (income), net			(45	)			(3	)			4				(71	)			(32	)
(Loss) income from operations(1)			834				668				(168	)			1,004				1,018
Interest expense			158				199				257				253				257
Interest income			(3	)			(30	)			(32	)			(64	)			(46	)
Other expenses (income), net			(25	)			(8	)			(18	)			(2	)			2
(Loss) income before provision for income taxes and equity in earnings of unconsolidated subsidiaries			704				507				(375	)			817				805
Provision (benefit) for income taxes			265				199				(61	)			322				298
(Loss) income before equity in earnings of unconsolidated subsidiaries			439				308				(314	)			495				507
Equity in earnings of unconsolidated subsidiaries, net of tax			2				1				2				2				3
Net (loss) income(1)		$	441			$	309			$	(312	)		$	497			$	510
Balance Sheet Data (end of period):
Cash and cash equivalents		$	282			$	239			$	214			$	67			$	35
Total assets			8,740				9,822			$	8,638				10,528				9,346
Current portion of long-term debt			—				35				—				126				708
Long-term debt			3,039				3,587				3,522				2,912				3,084
Other non-current liabilities, including deferred tax liabilities			1,751				2,002				1,708				1,460				1,321
Total equity			3,078				3,330				2,607				5,021				3,250
Statement of Cash Flow Data:
Cash provided by (used in):
Operating activities		$	701			$	523			$	709			$	603			$	581
Investing activities			(157	)			1,175				1,074				(1,087	)			(502	)
Financing activities			(483	)			(1,523	)			(1,625	)			515				(72	)
Depreciation expense(2)			121				102				141				120				94
Amortization expense(2)			30				36				54				49				45
Purchases of property, plant & equipment			(223	)			(203	)			(304	)			(230	)			(158	)

(1)		The 2008 loss from operations reflects non-cash pre-tax impairment charges of $1,039 million. The 2008 net loss reflects non-cash impairment charges of $696 million ($1,039 million net of tax benefit of $343 million).
(2)		The depreciation and amortization expenses reflected in this section of the table represent our total depreciation and amortization expenses as reflected on our consolidated statements of cash flows. Depreciation and amortization expenses in our consolidated statements of operations data are reflected in various line items including “depreciation and amortization,” and “cost of sales.”

 

You should carefully consider the following risk factors and the information discussed in Item 1A under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, as amended by our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 11, 2009, each of which is incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, as well as the other information included or incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, before making an investment decision. The following is not intended as, and should not be construed as, an exhaustive list of relevant risk factors. There may be other risks that a prospective investor should consider that are relevant to its own particular circumstances or generally.

 

We are a holding company and our ability to make payments on our outstanding indebtedness, including the Notes, is dependent upon the receipt of funds from our subsidiaries by way of interest and principal payments on loans due to us, dividends, fees, interests, loans or otherwise.

 

The Notes are obligations of Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc., which is a holding company with no material operating assets, other than the stock of its subsidiaries and loans to subsidiaries. All of Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.’s revenue and cash flow is generated through its subsidiaries. Accordingly, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.’s ability to make payments on its indebtedness, including the Notes, and to fund its other obligations is dependent not only on the ability of its subsidiaries to generate cash, but also on the ability of its subsidiaries to distribute cash to it in the form of interest and principal payments on loans due to us, dividends, fees, interest, loans or otherwise. Although certain subsidiaries will guarantee Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.’s payment obligations on the Notes, these guarantees may be released under certain circumstances. See “— The Notes are effectively subordinated to the indebtedness of our subsidiaries that are not guaranteeing the Notes” and “Description of the Notes — Guarantees.”

 

The Notes are effectively subordinated to the indebtedness of our subsidiaries that are not guaranteeing the Notes.

 

We expect that only certain of our subsidiaries will guarantee our payment obligations on the Notes. Our and our subsidiary guarantors’ right to participate in any distribution of assets of any non-guarantor subsidiary upon that subsidiary’s dissolution, winding-up, liquidation, reorganization or otherwise is subject to the prior claims of the creditors of that subsidiary, except to the extent that we or a subsidiary guarantor is a creditor of the subsidiary and we or such subsidiary guarantor’s claims are recognized. Therefore, the Notes will be effectively subordinated to all indebtedness and other obligations of our non-guarantor subsidiaries (excluding any amounts owed by such subsidiaries to us). Our non-guarantor subsidiaries are separate legal entities and have no obligations to pay any amounts due on the Notes. For the nine months ended September 30, 2009 and for the year ended December 31, 2008, our non-guarantor subsidiaries accounted for $364 million and $587 million of our consolidated net sales and $77 million and $123 million of our consolidated income from operations. As of September 30, 2009, the total liabilities of our non-guarantor subsidiaries was approximately $91 million, including trade payables, and the total assets of such subsidiaries was approximately $543 million.

 

If the Notes are not guaranteed by any of our subsidiaries, then the Notes will be effectively subordinated to all indebtedness and other obligations of all of our subsidiaries. The indenture governing the Notes does not limit the ability of our subsidiaries to incur additional indebtedness.

 

The Notes are not secured by any of our assets and any secured creditors would have a prior claim on our assets.

 

The Notes are not secured by any of our assets. The terms of the indenture permit us to incur a certain amount of secured indebtedness without equally and ratably securing the Notes. If we become insolvent or are liquidated, or if payment under any of the agreements governing any secured debt is accelerated, the lenders under our secured debt agreements will be entitled to exercise the remedies available to a secured lender. Accordingly, the lenders will have a prior claim on our assets to the extent of their liens, and it is possible that there will be insufficient assets

remaining from which claims of the holders of these Notes can be satisfied. As of September 30, 2009, we had no secured indebtedness.

 

Negative covenants in the indenture offer only limited protection to holders of the Notes.

 

The indenture governing the Notes will contain negative covenants that apply to us and our subsidiaries. However, the indenture does not:

 

 

In addition, the limitation on secured indebtedness covenant in the indenture contains exceptions that will allow us and our subsidiaries to create, grant or incur liens or security interests to secure a certain amount of indebtedness and a variety of other obligations without equally and ratably securing the Notes. See “Description of the Notes — Certain Covenants” for a description of this covenant and related definitions. In light of these exceptions, holders of the Notes may be structurally subordinated to new lenders.

 

Holders of our existing indebtedness may have superior rights under certain circumstances.

 

The Company currently has approximately $1,700 million of senior notes outstanding (the “Outstanding Notes”), which have the benefit of covenants limiting secured debt and sale and leaseback transactions similar to, but more restrictive than, the limitations on secured debt and sale and leaseback transactions described below. In the event the Company incurs secured debt or enters into a sale and leaseback transaction that is excepted from the covenant protection provided to the holders of the Notes but not the holders of the Outstanding Notes, the Notes may become effectively subordinated to the claims of the holders of the Outstanding Notes up to the value of the assets subject to the lien or sale and leaseback transaction. In addition, the Company’s senior unsecured credit facility contains a covenant limiting secured debt that is more restrictive than the limitation on secured debt described below.

 

Upon the occurrence of a Change of Control Triggering Event, we will be required to offer to repurchase all of the Notes. In addition, upon the occurrence of a change of control triggering event with respect to the Outstanding Notes, we will be required to offer to repurchase all of the Outstanding Notes. The definition of Change of Control Triggering Event is similar, though not identical, to the definition of change of control triggering event with respect to the Outstanding Notes. As a result, under certain circumstance, we may be required to make an offer to repurchase the Outstanding Notes but not the Notes.

 

The events of default under the indenture governing the Outstanding Notes include a default on any of our indebtedness or that of our subsidiaries that have guaranteed the Outstanding Notes which default results in the acceleration of such indebtedness in an amount in excess of $100 million without such indebtedness having been discharged or the acceleration having been cured, waived, rescinded or annulled for a period of 30 days after written notice to us of such default. The indenture governing the Notes does not contain a similar event of default. As a result, if the acceleration of indebtedness described above occurs, the holders of the Notes will not have the right to accelerate the maturity of their Notes even though the holders of the Outstanding Notes will have that right.

 

Our credit ratings may not reflect all risks of your investment in the Notes.

 

The credit ratings assigned to the Notes are limited in scope, and do not address all material risks relating to an investment in the Notes, but rather reflect only the view of each rating agency at the time the rating is issued. An explanation of the significance of such rating may be obtained from such rating agency. There can be no assurance that such credit ratings will remain in effect for any given period of time or that a rating will not be lowered,

suspended or withdrawn entirely by the applicable rating agencies, if, in such rating agency’s judgment, circumstances so warrant. Agency credit ratings are not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security. Each agency’s rating should be evaluated independently of any other agency’s rating. Actual or anticipated changes, upgrades or downgrades in our credit ratings, including any announcement that our ratings are under further review for an upgrade or downgrade, could affect the market value of the Notes and, in the event of a downgrade, increase our corporate borrowing costs, including with respect to our Outstanding Notes.

 

Federal and state laws regarding fraudulent conveyance allow courts, under specific circumstances, to void debts, including guarantees, and would require holders of the Notes to return payments received from us or the subsidiary guarantors.

 

The Notes will be guaranteed by certain of our subsidiaries. If a bankruptcy proceeding or lawsuit were to be initiated by unpaid creditors, the Notes and the subsidiary guarantees of the Notes could come under review for federal or state fraudulent transfer violations. Under federal bankruptcy law and comparable provisions of state fraudulent transfer laws, obligations under a note or a guaranty could be voided, or claims in respect of a note or a guaranty could be subordinated to all other debts of the company or guarantor if, among other things, the company or guarantor at the time it incurred the indebtedness evidenced by its note or guaranty:

 

 

 

In addition, any payment by the company or guarantor under its note or guarantee could be voided and required to be returned to the company or guarantor, as the case may be, or to a fund for the benefit of the creditors of the debtor or guarantor.

 

The measures of insolvency for purposes of these fraudulent transfer laws will vary depending upon the law applied in any proceeding to determine whether a fraudulent transfer has occurred. Generally, however, the company or a guarantor would be considered insolvent if:

 

 

We may not have the ability to raise the funds necessary to finance the offer to redeem the Notes upon a Change of Control Triggering Event.

 

Upon the occurrence of a Change of Control Triggering Event, we will be required to offer to repurchase all of the Notes which are then outstanding. In addition, upon the occurrence of a change of control triggering event with respect to the Outstanding Notes (which is defined in a similar, though not identical, manner as a Change of Control Triggering Event), we will be required to offer to repurchase all of the Outstanding Notes. We cannot assure you that we will have sufficient funds available to make any required repurchases of the Notes and, if applicable, the Outstanding Notes upon such an event. Any failure to purchase tendered Notes would constitute a default under the indenture governing the Notes and, if applicable, the indenture governing the Outstanding Notes, which, in turn, would constitute a default under our senior credit facilities. A default could result in the declaration of the principal and interest on all the Notes and our indebtedness outstanding under the senior credit facilities to be due and

payable. The term “Change of Control Triggering Event” is defined under “Description of the Notes — Offer to Repurchase Upon a Change of Control Triggering Event.”

 

There may not be active trading markets for the Notes.

 

There are no existing markets for the Notes and we do not intend to apply for listing of the Notes on any securities exchange or any automated quotation system. Accordingly, trading markets for the Notes may not develop and any markets that do develop may not provide sufficient liquidity for the holders to sell their Notes at attractive prices, or at all. Future trading prices of the Notes will depend on many factors, including prevailing interest rates, our financial condition and results of operations, the then-current ratings assigned to the Notes and the market for similar securities. Any trading markets that develop would be affected by many factors independent of and in addition to the foregoing, including:

 

 

The net proceeds to us from the sale of the Notes will be approximately $      (after underwriting discounts and our offering expenses). We intend to use the net proceeds to repay outstanding amounts under our senior unsecured term loan A facility. At December 11, 2009, the weighted average interest rate of such amounts was approximately 4.9% and the weighted average maturity was approximately 2.9 years. None of the net proceeds will be applied to the revolving credit facility, which was undrawn as of September 30, 2009, except for $41 million utilized by letters of credit.

 

The following table sets forth, as of September 30, 2009, our consolidated cash and cash equivalents, short-term debt and total long-term debt and stockholders’ equity on an actual basis and as adjusted to give effect to the sale of the Notes and the application of the net proceeds to repay outstanding amounts under our senior unsecured term loan A facility. You should read this table in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 and the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the periods ended March 31, 2009, June 30, 2009 and September 30, 2009, which are incorporated by reference.

 

 

The summary herein of certain provisions of the indenture governing the Notes does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the indenture (a form of which has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which the accompanying prospectus is a part), including definitions therein of certain terms. In this description, (i) the term “Company” refers to Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. and (ii) the terms “we,” “our,” and “us” refer to the Company and any of its successors and their respective subsidiaries.

 

General

 

The Notes will be issued under an indenture to be dated as of December     , 2009 (the “indenture”), between us and Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as trustee. Each series of Notes will be a separate series of our “debt securities” (as that term is used in the accompanying prospectus).

 

We will issue two series of Notes. We will issue a total of $      aggregate principal amount of Notes that will mature on          , 2011 and $      aggregate principal amount of Notes that will mature on          , 2012.

 

The 2011 Notes will bear interest at an annual rate of     % per year. The 2012 Notes will bear interest at an annual rate of     % per year. Each series of Notes will bear interest from     , 2010. The first interest payment date on each series of Notes will be          , 2010. Interest is payable semi-annually on           and           to holders of record at the close of business on the           and           (whether or not that date is a business day), as the case may be, immediately preceding such interest payment date, and on the maturity date. Interest on the Notes will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year composed of twelve 30-day months.

 

If any interest payment date would otherwise be a day that is not a business day, that interest payment date will be postponed to the next date that is a business day. If the maturity date of a series of Notes falls on a day that is not a business day, the related payment of principal and interest of that series will be made on the next business day as if it were made on the date such payment was due, and no interest will accrue on the amounts so payable for the period from and after such date to the next business day. By “business day” we mean a weekday which is not a day when banking institutions in the place of payment are authorized or required by law or regulation to be closed.

 

Each series of Notes will be available for purchase in denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in book-entry form only. See “ — Book-Entry System; Delivery and Form.”

 

Guarantees

 

Subject to the limitations described in the accompanying prospectus under the heading “Description of Debt Securities — Subsidiary Guarantees,” all of our domestic subsidiaries (except two immaterial subsidiaries associated with our charitable foundations) (the “Subsidiary Guarantors”) will, jointly and severally, fully, unconditionally and irrevocably guarantee the full and punctual payment when due, whether at maturity, by acceleration, by redemption or otherwise, of the principal of and interest on the Notes. The terms of the guarantees are more fully described in the accompanying prospectus under the heading “Description of Debt Securities — Subsidiary Guarantees.”

 

Ranking

 

The Notes and the Subsidiary Guarantees will be senior unsecured obligations of the Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors, respectively, and will rank equally in right of payment with all existing and future unsecured and unsubordinated obligations of the Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors, respectively.

 

The Notes and the Subsidiary Guarantees will effectively rank junior to all existing and future secured indebtedness of the Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors, respectively, to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness. As of September 30, 2009, the Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors had no secured indebtedness.

 

In addition, the Notes will effectively rank junior to all liabilities of the Company’s Subsidiaries that are not guaranteeing the Notes (excluding any amounts owed by such Subsidiaries to the Company). The Company derives

a portion of its operating income and cash flow from its investments in its Subsidiaries that will not become Subsidiary Guarantors. Claims of creditors of the Company’s Subsidiaries that are not guaranteeing the Notes generally will have priority with respect to the assets and earnings of such Subsidiaries over the claims of Company’s creditors, including holders of the Notes. Accordingly, the Notes will be effectively subordinated to creditors, including trade creditors and preferred stockholders, if any, of the Company’s Subsidiaries that are not guaranteeing the Notes. For the nine months ended September 30, 2009 and for the year ended December 31, 2008, our non-guarantor subsidiaries accounted for $364 million and $587 million of our consolidated net sales and $77 million and $123 million of our consolidated income from operations. As of September 30, 2009, the total liabilities of our non-guarantor subsidiaries was approximately $91 million, including trade payables, and the total assets of such subsidiaries was approximately $543 million. See “Risk Factors — The Notes are effectively subordinated to the indebtedness of our subsidiaries that are not guaranteeing the Notes.”

 

Further Issuances

 

The indenture does not limit the amount of debt securities that we may issue under the indenture and provides that debt securities may be issued from time to time in one or more series. We may from time to time, without giving notice to or seeking the consent of the holders of either series of Notes, issue debt securities having the same ranking and the same interest rate, maturity and other terms (except for the issue date, the public offering price and the first interest payment date) as, and ranking equally and ratably with, the Notes of the applicable series of Notes. Any additional debt securities having such similar terms, together with the Notes of the applicable series, will constitute a single series of securities under the indenture, including for purposes of voting and redemptions. No such additional debt securities may be issued if an “event of default” (as such term is defined in the accompanying prospectus) has occurred and is continuing with respect to the applicable series of Notes.

 

Optional Redemption

 

The Company will have the right to redeem the Notes of either series, in whole or in part from time to time, at its option, on at least 30 days’ but no more than 60 days’ prior written notice mailed to the registered holders of the series of Notes to be redeemed. Upon redemption of the Notes, the Company will pay a redemption price equal to the greater of:

 

 

in each case plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon to the redemption date.

 

“Treasury Rate” means, for any redemption date, the rate per annum equal to the semi-annual equivalent yield to maturity, computed as the second business day immediately preceding that redemption date, of the Comparable Treasury Issue, assuming a price for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed as a percentage of its principal amount) equal to the Comparable Treasury Price for that redemption date.

 

“Comparable Treasury Issue” means the U.S. Treasury security selected by an Independent Investment Banker as having a maturity comparable to the remaining term of the Notes to be redeemed that would be utilized, at the time of selection and in accordance with customary financial practice, in pricing new issues of corporate debt securities of comparable maturity to the remaining term of the Notes to be redeemed.

 

“Comparable Treasury Price” means, with respect to any redemption date (1) the average of the Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations for such redemption date, after excluding the highest and lowest of the Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, or (2) if the Independent Investment Banker obtains fewer than four Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, the average of all of these quotations.

 

“Independent Investment Banker” means one of the Reference Treasury Dealers appointed by us.

“Reference Treasury Dealer” means each of Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated and UBS Securities LLC (or their respective affiliates that are primary U.S. Government securities dealers), and their respective successors, or if at any time any of the above is not a primary U.S. Government securities dealer, one other nationally recognized investment banking firm selected by the Company that is a primary U.S. Government securities dealer.

 

“Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations” means, with respect to each Reference Treasury Dealer and any redemption date, the average, as determined by the Independent Investment Banker, of the bid and asked prices for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed in each case as a percentage of its principal amount) quoted in writing to the Independent Investment Banker by such Reference Treasury Dealer at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the third business day preceding such redemption date.

 

“Remaining Scheduled Payments” means, with respect to each Note to be redeemed, the remaining scheduled payments of the principal thereof and interest thereon that would be due after the related redemption date for such redemption; provided, however, that, if such redemption date is not an interest payment date with respect to such Note, the amount of the next succeeding scheduled interest payment thereon will be reduced by the amount of interest accrued thereon to such redemption date.

 

The notice of redemption will state any conditions applicable to a redemption and the amount of Notes of any series to be redeemed. If less than all the Notes of any series are to be redeemed, the Notes of such series to be redeemed shall be selected by the trustee by such method as the trustee deems fair and appropriate. Unless we default in payment of the redemption price, on and after the redemption date, interest will cease to accrue on the Notes or portions thereof called for redemption.

 

Except as described above, the Notes will not be redeemable by us prior to maturity.

 

Sinking Fund

 

The Notes will not be entitled to any sinking fund.

 

Offer to Repurchase Upon a Change of Control Triggering Event

 

If a Change of Control Triggering Event (as defined below) occurs with respect to a series of Notes, holders of such Notes may require us to repurchase all or any part (equal to an integral multiple of $1,000) of their Notes at a purchase price of 101% of the principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on such Notes to the date of purchase (unless a notice of redemption has been mailed within 30 days after such Change of Control Triggering Event stating that all of the Notes will be redeemed as described above); provided that the principal amount of a Note remaining outstanding after a repurchase in part shall be $2,000 or an integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof. We will be required to mail to holders of the Notes a notice describing the transaction or transactions constituting the Change of Control Triggering Event and offering to repurchase the Notes. The notice must be mailed within 30 days after any Change of Control Triggering Event, and the repurchase must occur no earlier than 30 days and no later than 60 days after the date the notice is mailed.

 

On the date specified for repurchase of the Notes, we will, to the extent lawful:

 

 

We will comply with the requirements of Rule 14e-1 under the Exchange Act and any other securities laws and regulations applicable to the repurchase of the Notes. To the extent that these requirements conflict with the provisions requiring repurchase of the Notes, we will comply with these requirements instead of the repurchase provisions and will not be considered to have breached our obligations with respect to repurchasing the Notes. Additionally, if an event of default exists under the indenture (which is unrelated to the repurchase provisions of the Notes), including events of default arising with respect to other issues of debt securities, we will not be required to repurchase the Notes notwithstanding these repurchase provisions.

We will not be required to comply with the obligations relating to repurchasing the Notes if a third party instead satisfies them.

 

For purposes of the repurchase provisions of the Notes, the following terms will be applicable:

 

“Change of Control” means the occurrence of any of the following:

 

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, a transaction will not be considered to be a change of control if (a) we become a direct or indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of a holding company and (b)(y) immediately following that transaction, the direct or indirect holders of the voting stock of the holding company are substantially the same as the holders of our voting stock immediately prior to that transaction or (z) immediately following that transaction no person is the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of more than 50% of the voting stock of the holding company.

 

“Change of Control Triggering Event” means the occurrence of both a Change of Control and a Rating Event.

 

“Continuing Directors” means, as of any date of determination, any member of our Board of Directors who (a) was a member of the Board of Directors on the date the Notes were issued or (b) was nominated for election, elected or appointed to the Board of Directors with the approval of a majority of the continuing directors who were members of the Board of Directors at the time of such nomination, election or appointment (either by a specific vote or by approval of our proxy statement in which such member was named as a nominee for election as a director, without objection to such nomination).

 

“Fitch” means Fitch Ratings.

 

“Investment Grade Rating” means a rating equal to or higher than BBB- (or the equivalent) by Fitch, Baa3 (or the equivalent) by Moody’s and BBB- (or the equivalent) by S&P, and the equivalent investment grade credit rating from any replacement Rating Agency or Rating Agencies selected by us.

 

“Moody’s” means Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.

 

“Rating Agencies” means (a) each of Fitch, Moody’s and S&P; and (b) if any of Fitch, Moody’s or S&P ceases to rate the Notes or fails to make a rating of the Notes publicly available for reasons outside of our control, a “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” (within the meaning of Rule 15c3-1(c)(2)(vi)(F) under the Exchange Act) selected by us as a replacement Rating Agency for a former Rating Agency.

 

“Rating Event” means the rating on the applicable series of Notes is lowered by each of the Rating Agencies and such Notes are rated below an Investment Grade Rating by each of the Rating Agencies on any day within the 60-day period (which 60-day period will be extended so long as the rating of the Notes is under publicly announced consideration for a possible downgrade by any of the Rating Agencies) after the earlier of (a) the occurrence of a Change of Control and (b) public notice of the occurrence of a Change of Control or our intention to effect a Change of Control; provided that a Rating Event will not be deemed to have occurred in respect of a particular Change of Control (and thus will not be deemed a Rating Event for purposes of the definition of Change of Control Triggering Event) if each Rating Agency making the reduction in rating does not publicly announce or confirm or inform the trustee in writing at our request that the reduction was the result, in whole or in part, of any event or circumstance

comprised of or arising as a result of, or in respect of, the Change of Control (whether or not the applicable Change of Control has occurred at the time of the Rating Event).

 

“S&P” means Standard & Poor’s Rating Services, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

 

“Voting Stock” means, with respect to any specified “person” (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) as of any date, the capital stock of such person that is at the time entitled to vote generally in the election of the board of directors of such person.

 

Certain Covenants

 

Limitation on Secured Indebtedness

 

The Company will not, and will not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, incur, issue, assume or guarantee any Indebtedness secured by a Lien on any Principal Property or on any Capital Stock or Indebtedness of any Subsidiary of the Company owning any Principal Property, whether now owned or hereafter acquired by the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company, without effectively providing that the outstanding Notes and the Subsidiary Guarantees (together with, if the Company shall so determine, any other Indebtedness of the Company or such Subsidiary then existing or thereafter created which is not subordinate to the Notes or the Subsidiary Guarantees) shall be secured equally and ratably with (or prior to) such secured Indebtedness so long as such secured Indebtedness shall be so secured. The foregoing restrictions do not apply to:

 

(1) Permitted Encumbrances;

 

(2) Liens on any asset or property existing at the date of the indenture, provided that

 

 

(3) Liens on any asset or property of any corporation or other Person existing at the time such corporation or other Person becomes a Subsidiary of the Company or is merged with or into or consolidated with the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company, provided that

 

 

(4) Liens securing Indebtedness of

 

 

(5) Liens on any property or asset to secure the payment of all or any part of the Capital Lease Obligations or purchase price of such property or asset upon the acquisition or lease of such property or asset by the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company or to secure any Indebtedness incurred prior to, at the time of, or within 270 days after, the later of the date of acquisition or lease of such property or asset and the date such

property or assets is placed in service, for the purpose of financing all or any part of the purchase price thereof or Capital Lease Obligations with respect thereto, or Liens to secure any Indebtedness incurred for the purpose of financing the cost to the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company of construction, alteration or improvement to such acquired property or asset;

 

(6) Liens securing industrial revenue bonds, pollution control bonds or other similar tax-exempt bonds;

 

(7) any other Liens incidental to construction or maintenance of real property of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company which were not incurred in connection with borrowing money or obtaining advances or credits or the acquisition of property or assets and in the aggregate do not materially impair the use of any property or assets or which are being contested in good faith by the Company or such Subsidiary; or

 

(8) any extension, renewal or replacement (including successive extensions, renewals or replacements), as a whole or in part, of any of the Liens enumerated in clauses (1) through (7) above; provided, however, that

 

 

Notwithstanding the restrictions set forth in the preceding paragraph, the Company and its Subsidiaries will be permitted to incur, issue, assume or guarantee Indebtedness secured by a Lien on any Principal Property or on any Capital Stock or Indebtedness of any Subsidiary of the Company owning any Principal Property which would otherwise be subject to the foregoing restrictions without equally and ratably securing the Notes and the Subsidiary Guarantees, if as of the time of such incurrence, issuance, assumption or guarantee, after giving effect thereto, the aggregate principal amount of all Indebtedness secured by Liens on any Principal Property or on any Capital Stock or Indebtedness of any Subsidiary of the Company owning any Principal Property (not including Indebtedness secured by Liens permitted under clauses (1) through (8) above), together (without duplication) with the aggregate amount of Attributable Debt outstanding in respect of sale and leaseback transactions entered into pursuant to the second paragraph of the “— Limitation on Sale and Leaseback Transactions” covenant described below, does not at the time exceed 15% of Consolidated Total Assets of the Company calculated as of the time of such incurrence, issuance, assumption or guarantee of secured Indebtedness.

 

Limitation on Sale and Leaseback Transactions

 

The Company will not directly or indirectly, and will not permit any of its Subsidiaries directly or indirectly to, engage in the sale or transfer of any Principal Property to a Person and the taking back by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, as the case may be, of a lease of such Principal Property, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, unless:

 

(1) such transaction was entered into prior to date of the indenture;

 

(2) such transaction was for the sale and leasing back to the Company by any one of its Subsidiaries;

 

(3) such transaction involves a lease for not more than three years;

 

(4) such transaction occurs within six months from the date of acquisition of the subject Principal Property or the date of the completion of construction or commencement of full operations of such Principal Property, whichever is later;

 

(5) the Company or such Subsidiary would be entitled to incur Indebtedness secured by a Lien with respect to such sale and leaseback transaction without equally and ratably securing the Notes pursuant to the provisions described in clauses (1) through (8) of the “— Limitation on Secured Indebtedness” covenant described above; or

 

(6) the Company or such Subsidiary applies an amount equal to the net proceeds from the sale of such Principal Property to the purchase of other property or assets used or useful in its business or to the retirement of Funded Debt within 270 days before or after the effective date of any such sale and leaseback transaction; provided that, in lieu of applying such amount to the retirement of Funded Debt, the Company or such

Subsidiary may deliver Notes to the trustee for cancelation, such Notes to be credited to the amount of net proceeds from the sale of such property or assets at the cost of acquisition of such Notes to the Company or such Subsidiary.

 

Notwithstanding the restrictions set forth in the preceding paragraph, the Company and its Subsidiaries may enter into any sale and leaseback transaction which would otherwise be prohibited by the foregoing restrictions, if as of the time of entering into such sale and leaseback transaction, after giving effect thereto, the aggregate amount of all Attributable Debt with respect to sale and leaseback transactions (not including Attributable Debt with respect to sale and leaseback transactions permitted under clauses (1) through (5) above), together (without duplication) with the aggregate principal amount of all Indebtedness secured by Liens on any Principal Property or on any Capital Stock or Indebtedness of any Subsidiary of the Company owning any Principal Property outstanding pursuant to the second paragraph of the “— Limitation on Secured Indebtedness” covenant described above, does not at the time exceed 15% of Consolidated Total Assets of the Company calculated as of the time of entry into of such sale and leaseback transaction.

 

Consolidation, Merger or Sale of Assets

 

The Company will not consolidate or combine with or merge with or into or, directly or indirectly, sell, assign, convey, lease, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of its assets to any person or persons in a single transaction or through a series of transactions, unless:

 

 

If any consolidation or merger or any sale, assignment, conveyance, lease, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets occurs in accordance with the indenture, the surviving entity will succeed to, and be substituted for, and may exercise every right and power of the Company under the indenture with the same effect as if such surviving entity had been named as the Company. The Company will (except in the case of a lease) be discharged from all obligations and covenants under the Indenture and any debt securities issued thereunder.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company may merge or consolidate into or with any Subsidiary Guarantor.

 

Certain Definitions

 

As used in this section, the following terms have the meanings set forth below.

 

“Attributable Debt” in respect of a sale and leaseback transaction means, at any time of determination, the present value at that time of the obligation of the lessee for net rental payments during the remaining term of the lease included in such sale and leaseback transaction. Such present value will be calculated using a discount rate equal to the rate of interest implicit in such transaction, determined in accordance with GAAP; provided, however, that if such sale and leaseback transaction results in a Capital Lease Obligation, the amount of Attributable Debt represented thereby will be determined in accordance with the definition of “Capital Lease Obligation.”

 

“Capital Lease Obligation” means, at any time of determination, the amount of the liability in respect of a capital lease that would at that time be required to be capitalized on a balance sheet prepared in accordance with GAAP.

“Capital Stock” means:

 

(1) in the case of a corporation, corporate stock;

 

(2) in the case of an association or business entity, any and all shares, interests, participations, rights or other equivalents (however designated) of corporate stock;

 

(3) in the case of a partnership or limited liability company, partnership or membership interests (whether general or limited); and

 

(4) any other interest or participation that confers on a Person the right to receive a share of the profits and losses of, or distributions of assets of the issuing Person.

 

“Consolidated Total Assets” means, with respect to any Person, as of any date of determination, the total assets reflected on the consolidated balance sheet of such Person and its subsidiaries as of the end of the most recently ended fiscal quarter of such Person for which consolidated financial statements have been prepared, determined on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP.

 

“Funded Debt” means Indebtedness which by its terms matures at or is extendible or renewable at the option of the obligor to date more than 12 months after the date of the creation or incurrence of such Indebtedness.

 

“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles set forth in the opinions and pronouncements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) and statements and pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or in such other statements by such other entity as have been approved by a significant segment of the accounting profession, which are in effect as of the date of determination.

 

“Indebtedness” means, with respect to any Person, without duplication, any indebtedness of such Person, whether or not contingent:

 

(1) in respect of borrowed money;

 

(2) evidenced by bonds, notes, debentures, or similar instruments or letters of credit (or reimbursement agreements with respect thereto);

 

(3) in respect of banker’s acceptances, bank guarantees, surety bonds or similar instruments;

 

(4) representing Capital Lease Obligations; or

 

(5) representing the balance deferred and unpaid of the purchase price of any property or services due more than six months after such property is acquired or such services are completed, except any such balance that constitutes a trade payable or similar obligation to a trade creditor incurred in the ordinary course of business;

 

if and to the extent any of the preceding items (other than letters of credit) would appear as a liability upon a balance sheet (excluding the notes thereto) of the specified Person prepared in accordance with GAAP.

 

In addition, the term “Indebtedness” includes all of the following items, whether or not any such items would appear as a liability on a balance sheet of the specified Person in accordance with GAAP:

 

(1) all Indebtedness of others secured by a Lien on any asset of the specified Person (whether or not such Indebtedness is assumed by the specified Person); and

 

(2) to the extent not otherwise included, any guarantee by the specified Person of Indebtedness of any other Person.

 

“Lien” means any mortgage, lien, pledge, charge, security interest or other encumbrance of any kind, whether or not filed, recorded or otherwise perfected under applicable law, including any conditional sale or other title retention agreement, any lease in the nature thereof, any option or other agreement to sell or give a security interest in and any filing of or agreement to give any financing statement under the Uniform Commercial Code (or equivalent statute) of any jurisdiction. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an operating lease shall not be deemed to constitute a Lien.

“Permitted Encumbrances” means:

 

(1) Liens imposed by law for taxes, assessments or governmental charges that are not overdue for a period of more than 30 days or that are being contested in good faith;

 

(2) carriers’, warehousemen’s, mechanics’, materialmen’s, repairmen’s and other like Liens imposed by law, arising in the ordinary course of business and securing obligations that are not overdue by more than 30 days (or if more than 30 days overdue, are unfiled and no other action has been taken to enforce such Liens) or are being contested in good faith;

 

(3) (i) pledges and deposits made in the ordinary course of business in compliance with workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance and other social security laws or regulations and (ii) pledges and deposits in the ordinary course of business securing liability for reimbursement or indemnification obligations of (including obligations in respect of letters of credit or bank guarantees for the benefit of) insurance carriers providing property, casualty or liability insurance to the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company;

 

(4) deposits to secure the performance of bids, trade contracts (other than for the repayment of borrowed money), leases, statutory obligations, surety and appeal bonds, performance bonds and other obligations of a like nature (including those to secure health, safety and environmental obligations), in each case in the ordinary course of business;

 

(5) judgment liens for the payment of money (i) in excess of $75,000,000 in the aggregate (to the extent not covered by independent third-party insurance) or (ii) in respect of judgments that the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company is in good faith prosecuting an appeal or other proceeding for review or Liens incurred by the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company for the purpose of obtaining a stay or discharge in the course of any litigation or other proceeding to which the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company is a party;

 

(6) easements, restrictions, rights-of-way and similar encumbrances and minor title defects on real property imposed by law or arising in the ordinary course of business that do not secure any payment obligations and do not, in the aggregate, materially detract from the value of the affected property or interfere with the ordinary conduct of business of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company;

 

(7) leases, licenses, subleases or sublicenses granted to others in the ordinary course of business which do not (i) interfere in any material respect with the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or (ii) secure any Indebtedness;

 

(8) Liens in favor of customs and revenue authorities arising as a matter of law to secure payment of customs duties in connection with the importation of goods in the ordinary course of business;

 

(9) Liens (i) of a collection bank on the items in the course of collection, (ii) attaching to commodity trading accounts or other commodities brokerage accounts incurred in the ordinary course of business and (iii) in favor of a banking or other financial institution arising as a matter of law encumbering deposits or other funds maintained with a financial institution (including the right of set off) and which are customary in the banking industry;

 

(10) any interest or title of a lessor under leases entered into by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business and financing statements with respect to a lessor’s right in and to personal property leased to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of the Company’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ business other than through a capital lease;

 

(11) Liens arising out of conditional sale, title retention, consignment or similar arrangements for sale of goods entered into by the Company or any Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business;

 

(12) Liens deemed to exist in connection with Permitted Investments and reasonable customary initial deposits and margin deposits and similar Liens attaching to commodity trading accounts or other brokerage accounts maintained in the ordinary course of business and not for speculative purposes;

 

(13) Liens that are contractual rights of set-off: (i) relating to the establishment of depository relations with banks or other financial institutions not given in connection with the issuance of Indebtedness, (ii) relating

to pooled deposit or sweep accounts of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company to permit satisfaction of overdraft or similar obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business of the Company and its Subsidiaries or (iii) relating to purchase orders and other agreements entered into with customers of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company in the ordinary course of business;

 

(14) Liens solely on any cash earnest money deposits made by the Company or any Subsidiaries in connection with any letter of intent or purchase agreement;

 

(15) ground leases in respect of real property on which facilities owned or leased by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries are located;

 

(16) Liens on insurance policies and the proceeds thereof securing the financing of the premiums with respect thereto;

 

(17) any zoning or similar law or right reserved to or vested in any governmental authority to control or regulate the use of any real property that does not materially interfere with the ordinary conduct of the business of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company; and

 

(18) Liens on specific items of inventory or other goods and the proceeds thereof securing such Person’s obligations in respect of documentary letters of credit or banker’s acceptances issued or created for the account of such Person to facilitate the purchase, shipment or storage of such inventory or goods.

 

“Permitted Investments” means:

 

(a) direct obligations of, or obligations the principal of and interest on which are unconditionally guaranteed by, the United States (or by any agency thereof to the extent such obligations are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States), in each case maturing within one year from the date of acquisition thereof;

 

(b) investments in commercial paper maturing within 270 days from the date of acquisition thereof and having, at such date of acquisition, the highest credit rating obtainable from S&P or from Moody’s;

 

(c) investments in certificates of deposit, banker’s acceptances and time deposits maturing within 180 days from the date of acquisition thereof issued or guaranteed by or placed with, and money market deposit accounts issued or offered by, any domestic office of any commercial bank organized under the laws of the United States or any State thereof which has a combined capital and surplus and undivided profits of not less than $500,000,000;

 

(d) fully collateralized repurchase agreements with a term of not more than 30 days for securities described in clause (a) above and entered into with a financial institution satisfying the criteria described in clause (c) above; and

 

(e) money market funds that (i) comply with the criteria set forth in SEC Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, (ii) are rated AAA by S&P and Aaa by Moody’s and (iii) have portfolio assets of at least $5,000,000,000.

 

“Person” means any individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, association, limited liability company, joint-stock company, trust, unincorporated organization or government or any agency or political subdivision thereof.

 

“Principal Property” means (i) any manufacturing, processing or bottling plant, warehouse or distribution center (including the land upon which it is situated), owned and operated by the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company on the date the separation of the Company from Cadbury Schweppes was completed, other than property which, in the opinion of the Board of Directors of the Company, individually and in the aggregate, is not of material importance to the business conducted by the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, and (ii) any manufacturing, processing or bottling plant, warehouse or distribution center (including the land upon which it is situated), purchased or constructed by the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company after the date the separation of the Company from Cadbury Schweppes was completed, provided that the original cost of such purchase or construction is an amount greater than 1% of Consolidated Total Assets of the Company.

“Subsidiary” of any specified Person means any corporation, association or other business entity of which more than 50% of the total voting power of shares of capital stock entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors, managers or trustees thereof is at the time owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by such person or one or more of the other Subsidiaries of that person or a combination thereof.

 

Defeasance

 

The Notes are subject to defeasance under the conditions set forth in the indenture and described under “Description of Debt Securities — Defeasance and Discharge” in the accompanying prospectus.

 

Governing Law

 

The indenture and the Notes will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

 

Concerning the Trustee

 

The trustee, in its individual and any other capacity, may make loans to, accept deposits from, and perform services for the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor as if it were not the trustee; however, if it acquires any conflicting interest, it must eliminate such conflict within 90 days, apply to the SEC for permission to continue or resign.

 

The indenture will provide that in case an event of default shall occur and be continuing (which shall not be cured), the trustee will be required, in the exercise of its power, to use the degree of care of a prudent man in the conduct of his own affairs. Subject to such provisions, the trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under the indenture at the request of any holder of the Notes, unless such holder shall have offered to the trustee security and indemnity satisfactory to it against any loss, liability or expense.

 

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. will be the trustee under the indenture. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. also serves as trustee under an indenture related to other senior securities that we have issued.

 

Book-Entry System; Delivery and Form

 

Global Notes

 

We will issue the Notes in the form of one or more global notes in definitive, fully registered, book-entry form. The global notes will be deposited with or on behalf of DTC and registered in the name of Cede & Co., as nominee of DTC.

 

DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear

 

Beneficial interests in the global notes will be represented through book-entry accounts of financial institutions acting on behalf of beneficial owners as direct and indirect participants in DTC. Investors may hold interests in the global notes through either DTC (in the United States), Clearstream Banking, société anonyme, Luxembourg, which we refer to as Clearstream, or Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V., as operator of the Euroclear System, which we refer to as Euroclear, in Europe, either directly if they are participants in such systems or indirectly through organizations that are participants in such systems. Clearstream and Euroclear will hold interests on behalf of their participants through customers’ securities accounts in Clearstream’s and Euroclear’s names on the books of their U.S. depositaries, which in turn will hold such interests in customers’ securities accounts in the U.S. depositaries’ names on the books of DTC.

 

We have obtained the information in this section concerning DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear and the book-entry system and procedures from sources that we believe to be reliable, but we take no responsibility for the accuracy of this information.

We understand that:

 

 

We understand that Clearstream is incorporated under the laws of Luxembourg as a professional depositary. Clearstream holds securities for its customers and facilitates the clearance and settlement of securities transactions between its customers through electronic book-changes in accounts of its customers, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of certificates. Clearstream provides to its customers, among other things, services for safekeeping, administration, clearance and settlement of internationally traded securities and securities lending and borrowing. Clearstream interfaces with domestic markets in several countries. As a professional depositary, Clearstream is subject to regulation by the Luxembourg Commission for the Supervision of the Financial Section. Clearstream customers are recognized financial institutions around the world, including underwriters, securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other organizations and may include the underwriters. Indirect access to Clearstream is also available to others, such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a Clearstream customer either directly or indirectly.

 

We understand that Euroclear was created in 1968 to hold securities for participants of Euroclear and to clear and settle transactions between Euroclear participants through simultaneous electronic book-entry delivery against payment, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of certificates and any risk from lack of simultaneous transfers of securities and cash. Euroclear provides various other services, including securities lending and borrowing and interfaces with domestic markets in several countries. Euroclear is operated by Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V., which we refer to as the Euroclear Operator, under contract with Euroclear Clearance Systems S.C., a Belgian cooperative corporation, which we refer to as the Cooperative. All operations are conducted by the Euroclear Operator, and all Euroclear securities clearance accounts and Euroclear cash accounts are accounts with the Euroclear Operator, not the Cooperative. The Cooperative establishes policy for Euroclear on behalf of Euroclear participants. Euroclear participants include banks (including central banks), securities brokers and dealers, and other professional financial intermediaries and may include the underwriters. Indirect access to Euroclear is also available to other firms that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a Euroclear participant, either directly or indirectly.

 

We understand that the Euroclear Operator is licensed by the Belgian Banking and Finance Commission to carry out banking activities on a global basis. As a Belgian bank, it is regulated and examined by the Belgian Banking and Finance Commission.

 

We have provided the descriptions of the operations and procedures of DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear in this prospectus supplement solely as a matter of convenience, and we make no representation or warranty of any kind

with respect to these operations and procedures. These operations and procedures are solely within the control of those organizations and are subject to change by them from time to time. None of us, the underwriters or the trustee takes any responsibility for these operations or procedures, and you are urged to contact DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear or their participants directly to discuss these matters.

 

We expect that under procedures established by DTC:

 

 

The laws of some jurisdictions may require that purchasers of securities take physical delivery of those securities in definitive form. Accordingly, the ability to transfer interests in the Notes represented by a global note to those persons may be limited. In addition, because DTC can act only on behalf of its participants, who in turn act on behalf of persons who hold interests through participants, the ability of a person having an interest in Notes represented by a global note to pledge or transfer those interests to persons or entities that do not participate in DTC’s system, or otherwise to take actions in respect of such interest, may be affected by the lack of a physical definitive security in respect of such interest.

 

So long as DTC or its nominee is the registered owner of a global note, DTC or that nominee will be considered the sole owner or holder of the Notes represented by that global note for all purposes under the indenture and under the Notes. Except as provided below, owners of beneficial interests in a global note will not be entitled to have Notes represented by that global note registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of certificated Notes and will not be considered the owners or holders thereof under the indenture or under the Notes for any purpose, including with respect to the giving of any direction, instruction or approval to the trustee. Accordingly, each holder owning a beneficial interest in a global note must rely on the procedures of DTC and, if that holder is not a direct or indirect participant, on the procedures of the participant through which that holder owns its interest, to exercise any rights of a holder of Notes under the indenture or a global note.

 

Neither we nor the trustee will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of Notes by DTC, Clearstream or Euroclear, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records of those organizations relating to the Notes.

 

Payments on the Notes represented by the global notes will be made to DTC or its nominee, as the case may be, as the registered owner thereof. We expect that DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any payment on the Notes represented by a global note, will credit participants’ accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in the global note as shown in the records of DTC or its nominee. We also expect that payments by participants to owners of beneficial interests in the global note held through such participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practice as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers registered in the names of nominees for such customers. The participants will be solely responsible for those payments.

 

Distributions on the Notes held beneficially through Clearstream will be credited to cash accounts of its customers in accordance with its rules and procedures, to the extent received by the U.S. depositary for Clearstream.

 

Securities clearance accounts and cash accounts with the Euroclear Operator are governed by the Terms and Conditions Governing Use of Euroclear and the related Operating Procedures of the Euroclear System, and applicable Belgian law (collectively referred to herein as the Terms and Conditions). The Terms and Conditions govern transfers of securities and cash within Euroclear, withdrawals of securities and cash from Euroclear, and receipts of payments with respect to securities in Euroclear. All securities in Euroclear are held on a fungible basis without attribution of specific certificates to specific securities clearance accounts. The Euroclear Operator acts under the Terms and Conditions only on behalf of Euroclear participants and has no record of or relationship with persons holding through Euroclear participants.

Distributions on the Notes held beneficially through Euroclear will be credited to the cash accounts of its participants in accordance with the Terms and Conditions, to the extent received by the U.S. depositary for Euroclear.

 

Clearance and Settlement Procedures

 

Initial settlement for the Notes will be made in immediately available funds. Secondary market trading between DTC participants will occur in the ordinary way in accordance with DTC rules and will be settled in immediately available funds. Secondary market trading between Clearstream customers and/or Euroclear participants will occur in the ordinary way in accordance with the applicable rules and operating procedures of Clearstream and Euroclear, as applicable, and will be settled using the procedures applicable to conventional Eurobonds in immediately available funds.

 

Cross-market transfers between persons holding directly or indirectly through DTC, on the one hand, and directly or indirectly through Clearstream customers or Euroclear participants, on the other, will be effected through DTC in accordance with DTC rules on behalf of the relevant European international clearing system by the U.S. depositary. Such cross-market transactions, however, will require delivery of instructions to the relevant European international clearing system by the counterparty in such system in accordance with its rules and procedures and within its established deadlines (European time). The relevant European international clearing system will, if the transaction meets its settlement requirements, deliver instructions to the U.S. depositary to take action to effect final settlement on its behalf by delivering or receiving the Notes in DTC, and making or receiving payment in accordance with normal procedures for same-day funds settlement applicable to DTC. Clearstream customers and Euroclear participants may not deliver instructions directly to their U.S. depositaries.

 

Because of time-zone differences, credits of the Notes received in Clearstream or Euroclear as a result of a transaction with a DTC participant will be made during subsequent securities settlement processing and dated the business day following the DTC settlement date. Such credits or any transactions in the Notes settled during such processing will be reported to the relevant Clearstream customers or Euroclear participants on such business day. Cash received in Clearstream or Euroclear as a result of sales of the Notes by or through a Clearstream customer or a Euroclear participant to a DTC participant will be received with value on the DTC settlement date but will be available in the relevant Clearstream or Euroclear cash account only as of the business day following settlement in DTC.

 

Although DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear have agreed to the foregoing procedures to facilitate transfers of the Notes among participants of DTC, Clearstream and Euroclear, they are under no obligation to perform or continue to perform such procedures and such procedures may be changed or discontinued at any time.

 

Certificated Notes

 

We will issue certificated Notes to each person that DTC identifies as the beneficial owner of the Notes represented by a global note upon surrender by DTC of the global note if:

 

 

Neither we nor the trustee will be liable for any delay by DTC, its nominee or any direct or indirect participant in identifying the beneficial owners of the Notes. We and the trustee may conclusively rely on, and will be protected in relying on, instructions from DTC or its nominee for all purposes, including with respect to the registration and delivery, and the respective principal amounts, of the certificated notes to be issued.

 

THIS SUMMARY IS OF A GENERAL NATURE AND IS INCLUDED HEREIN SOLELY FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES. THIS SUMMARY IS NOT INTENDED TO BE, AND SHOULD NOT BE, CONSTRUED TO BE LEGAL OR TAX ADVICE. NO REPRESENTATION WITH RESPECT TO THE CONSEQUENCES TO ANY PARTICULAR PURCHASER OF THE NOTES IS MADE. PROSPECTIVE PURCHASERS SHOULD CONSULT THEIR OWN ADVISORS WITH RESPECT TO THEIR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES.

 

The following is a summary of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations relevant to U.S. Holders and Non-U.S. Holders (both as defined below) relating to the purchase, ownership and disposition of the Notes. This summary is based upon current provisions of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”), existing and proposed Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder, rulings, pronouncements, judicial decisions and administrative interpretations of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”), all of which are subject to change, possibly on a retroactive basis, at any time by legislative, judicial or administrative action. We cannot assure you that the IRS will not challenge the conclusions stated below, and no ruling from the IRS or an opinion of counsel has been (or will be) sought on any of the matters discussed below.

 

The following summary does not purport to be a complete analysis of all the potential U.S. federal income tax considerations relating to the purchase, ownership, and disposition of the Notes. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, this summary does not address the effect of any special rules applicable to certain types of beneficial owners, including, without limitation, dealers in securities or currencies, insurance companies, financial institutions, thrifts, regulated investment companies, tax-exempt entities, governmental bodies or agencies and instrumentalities thereof. U.S. Holders whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar, U.S. expatriates, persons who hold Notes as part of a straddle, hedge, conversion transaction, or other risk reduction or integrated investment transaction, investors in securities that elect to use a mark-to-market method of accounting for their securities holdings, individual retirement accounts or qualified pension plans, controlled foreign corporations, passive foreign investment companies, or investors in pass through entities, including partnerships and Subchapter S corporations. In addition, this summary is limited to holders who are the initial purchasers of the Notes at their original issue price and who hold the Notes as capital assets within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Internal Revenue Code. This summary does not address the effect of any U.S. state or local income or other tax laws, any U.S. federal estate and gift tax laws, or any foreign tax laws.

 

U.S. Holders

 

The term “U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of a Note that is:

 

 

Taxation of Interest

 

All of the Notes bear interest at a fixed rate or will bear interest at a floating rate that is either a qualified floating rate or an objective rate under the rules regarding original issue discount. Moreover, we do not intend to issue the Notes at a discount that will exceed a de minimis amount of original issue discount. Accordingly, interest on a Note will generally be includable in income of a U.S. Holder as ordinary income, in accordance with the U.S. Holder’s regular method of accounting for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A U.S. Holder using the accrual method of accounting for federal income tax purposes must include interest on the Notes in ordinary income as interest accrues. A U.S. Holder using the cash receipts and disbursements method of accounting for U.S. federal

income tax purposes must include interest in ordinary income when payments are received, or made available for receipt, by the U.S. Holder.

 

In certain circumstances (See “Description of the Notes — Optional Redemption,” and “Description of the Notes — Offer to Repurchase Upon a Change of Control Triggering Event”), we may pay amounts on the Notes that are in excess of the stated interest or principal of the Notes. We intend to take the position that the possibility that any such payment will be made is remote so that such possibility will not affect the timing or amount of interest income that holders recognize unless and until any such payment is made. Our determination that these contingencies are remote is binding on the holder, unless the holder discloses its contrary position to the IRS in the manner that is required by applicable Treasury regulations. Our determination is not, however, binding on the IRS. It is possible that the IRS might take a different position from that described above, in which case the timing, character and amount of taxable income in respect of the Notes may be different from that described herein.

 

Sale, Exchange, or Retirement of a Note

 

A U.S. Holder will generally recognize capital gain or loss on a sale, exchange, redemption, retirement or other taxable disposition of a Note measured by the difference, if any, between:

 

 

Such capital gain or loss will be treated as a long-term capital gain or loss if, at the time of the sale or exchange, the Note has been held by the U.S. Holder for more than one year; otherwise, the capital gain or loss will be short-term. Non-corporate taxpayers may be subject to a lower federal income tax rate on their net long-term capital gains than that applicable to ordinary income. U.S. Holders are subject to certain limitations on the deductibility of their capital losses.

 

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

 

U.S. Holders of Notes will be subject to information reporting and may be subject, under certain circumstances, to backup withholding (currently at a rate of 28%) on payments of interest, principal, gross proceeds from disposition of Notes, and redemption premium, if any. Backup withholding generally applies only if the U.S. Holder:

 

 

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amount withheld from a payment to a U.S. Holder under the backup withholding rules is allowable as a credit against such U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and such U.S. Holder may be entitled to a refund of any amounts withheld in excess of its actual U.S. federal income tax liability, provided such U.S. Holder files the appropriate returns and/or timely furnishes the required information to the IRS. Certain persons are exempt from backup withholding, including corporations and financial institutions. U.S. Holders of Notes should consult their tax advisors as to their qualification for exemption from backup withholding and the procedure for obtaining such exemption. We cannot refund amounts once withheld.

 

We will furnish annually to the IRS, and to record holders of the Notes to whom we are required to furnish such information, information relating to the amount of interest and the amount of backup withholding, if any, with respect to the Notes.

Non-U.S. Holders

 

The following summary is limited to the U.S. federal income tax consequences relevant to a beneficial owner of a Note who is not classified for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a partnership or as a “disregarded entity” and who is not a U.S. Holder (a “Non-U.S. Holder”). In the case of a Non-U.S. Holder who is an individual, the following summary assumes that this individual was not formerly a U.S. citizen, and was not formerly a resident of the United States for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 

Taxation of Interest

 

Subject to the summary of backup withholding rules below, payments of interest on a Note to any Non-U.S. Holder will not generally be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax provided we or the person otherwise responsible for withholding U.S. federal income tax from payments on the Notes receives a required certification from the Non-U.S. Holder (as discussed below) and the Non-U.S. Holder is not:

 

 

In order to satisfy the certification requirement, the Non-U.S. Holder must provide a properly completed IRS Form W-8BEN (or substitute Form W-8BEN or the appropriate successor form) under penalties of perjury that provides the Non-U.S. Holder’s name and address and certifies that the Non-U.S. Holder is not a U.S. person. Alternatively, in a case where a security clearing organization, bank or other financial institution holds the Notes in the ordinary course of its trade or business on behalf of the Non-U.S. Holder, the certification requirements provide that we or the person who otherwise would be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax receive from the financial institution a certification under penalties of perjury that a properly completed Form W-8BEN (or substitute Form W-8BEN or the appropriate successor form) has been received by it, or by another such financial institution, from the Non-U.S. Holder, and a copy of such a form is furnished to the payor. Special rules apply to foreign partnerships, estates and trusts, and in certain circumstances, certifications as to foreign status of partners, trust owners, or beneficiaries may be required to be provided to our paying agent or to us. In addition, special rules apply to payments made through a qualified intermediary.

 

A Non-U.S. Holder that does not qualify for exemption from withholding under the preceding paragraphs generally will be subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at the rate of 30%, unless (i) the Non-U.S. Holder provides a properly completed IRS Form W-8BEN and other required documentation evidencing its entitlement to an exemption from (or a reduction of) withholding under an applicable income tax treaty, or (ii) payments of interest on the Notes are effectively connected with the conduct by the Non-U.S. Holder of a trade or business in the United States and the Non-U.S. Holder meets the certification requirement discussed at the end of the following paragraph.

 

If the payments of interest on a Note are effectively connected with the conduct by a Non-U.S. Holder of a trade or business in the United States (or, in the event that an income tax treaty is applicable, if the payments of interest are attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment maintained by the Non-U.S. Holder), such payments will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net basis at the rates applicable to U.S. persons generally. If the Non-U.S. Holder is a corporation for U.S. federal income purposes, such payments also may be subject to a branch profits tax at the rate of 30%, or lower applicable treaty rate. If payments are subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net basis in accordance with the rules described in the preceding two sentences, such payments will not be subject to U.S. withholding tax so long as the Non-U.S. Holder provides us, or the person who otherwise would be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax, with a properly completed and executed IRS Form W-8ECI.

Non-U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding any applicable income tax treaties, which may provide for a lower rate of withholding tax, exemption from or reduction of branch profits tax, or other rules different from those described above.

 

Sale, Exchange, or Disposition

 

Subject to the summary of backup withholding rules below, any gain realized by a Non-U.S. Holder on the sale, exchange, retirement or other disposition of a Note generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax, unless:

 

 

Proceeds from the disposition of a Note that are attributable to accrued but unpaid interest generally will be subject to, or exempt from, tax to the same extent as described above with respect to interest paid on a Note, although such proceeds generally are not subject to withholding tax. A non-U.S. Holder should treat any amount received on redemption of a Note in the same manner as the non-U.S. Holder treats proceeds received on a sale.

 

If the gain on a disposition of a Note is effectively connected with the conduct by a Non-U.S. Holder of a trade or business in the United States (or, in the event that an income tax treaty is applicable, if the gain is attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment maintained by the Non-U.S. Holder), such gain will be subject to U.S. Federal income tax in the same manner as interest that is effectively connected with the conduct by the Non-U.S. Holder of a trade or business in the United States, as described under “— Taxation of Interest” above.

 

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

 

Any payments of interest on the Notes to a Non-U.S. Holder will generally be reported to the IRS and to the Non-U.S. Holder. Copies of these information returns also may be made available under the provisions of a specific treaty or other agreement to the tax authorities of the country in which the Non-U.S. Holder resides.

 

The backup withholding tax and certain additional information reporting generally will not apply to payments of interest with respect to which either the requisite certification, as described above, has been received or an exemption otherwise has been established, provided that neither we nor the person who otherwise would be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax has actual knowledge or reason to know that the holder is, in fact, a U.S. person or that the conditions of any other exemption are not, in fact, satisfied.

 

The payment of the proceeds from the disposition of the Notes by or through the U.S. office of any broker, U.S. or foreign, will be subject to information reporting and backup withholding unless the Non-U.S. Holder certifies as to its non-U.S. status (e.g., by furnishing the broker with a properly completed and executed IRS Form W-8BEN) or otherwise establishes an exemption, provided that the broker does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that the holder is a U.S. person or that the conditions of any other exemption are not, in fact, satisfied. The payment of the proceeds from the disposition of the Notes by or through a non-U.S. office of a non-U.S. broker will not be subject to information reporting or backup withholding unless the non-U.S. broker has certain types of relationships with the United States (a “U.S. related person”). In the case of the payment of the proceeds from the disposition of the Notes by or through a non-U.S. office of a broker that is either a U.S. person or a U.S. related person, the Treasury Regulations require information reporting (but not backup withholding) on the payment unless the broker has documentary evidence in its files that the beneficial owner is a Non-U.S. Holder and the broker has no knowledge or reason to know to the contrary.

 

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be credited against the Non-U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability (and the Non-U.S. Holder may be entitled to a refund of amounts withheld in excess of the Non-U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability) provided such Non-U.S. Holder timely furnishes the required information to and/or files the necessary returns or claims with the IRS. We cannot refund amounts once withheld.

Proposed Legislation.

 

The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed legislation that would require a withholding agent to withhold tax at a rate of 30% on interest, dividends and other withholdable payments made to foreign entities, unless the entity certifies that it has no substantial U.S. owners or provides the withholding agent with the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each of its substantial U.S. owners. Moreover, the Obama Administration has recently proposed to (i) limit the ability of investors to claim an exemption from U.S. withholding tax through a foreign intermediary that is not a “qualified intermediary” (a “nonqualified intermediary”), (ii) require a withholding agent to withhold tax at a rate of 20% on gross proceeds from the sale of securities under certain circumstances when paid to a nonqualified intermediary that is located in a jurisdiction with which the United States does not have a comprehensive income tax treaty that includes a satisfactory exchange of information program, and (iii) limit the ability of certain foreign entities to claim relief from U.S. withholding tax unless those entities provide documentation of their beneficial owners to the withholding agent. It is unclear whether, or in what form, the Obama Administration proposals or the legislation passed by the House of Representatives will be enacted. Holders of Notes are encouraged to consult with their tax advisors regarding the possible implications of these proposals on their investment in the Notes.

 

THE PRECEDING SUMMARY OF CERTAIN U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY AND IS NOT LEGAL OR TAX ADVICE. ACCORDINGLY, PROSPECTIVE PURCHASERS SHOULD CONSULT THEIR OWN ADVISORS ON THE U.S. FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL, AND FOREIGN TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR PURCHASE, OWNERSHIP, AND DISPOSITION OF THE NOTES, AND ON THE CONSEQUENCES OF ANY CHANGES IN APPLICABLE LAW.

 

Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated and UBS Securities LLC are acting as joint book-running managers of the offering and as representatives of the underwriters named below.

 

Subject to the terms and conditions stated in the underwriting agreement dated the date of this prospectus supplement, each underwriter named below has agreed to purchase, and we have agreed to sell to that underwriter, the principal amount of Notes set forth opposite the underwriter’s name.

 

 

The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the Notes included in this offering are subject to approval of legal matters by counsel and to other conditions. The underwriters are obligated to purchase all the Notes if they purchase any of the Notes.

 

The underwriters propose to offer some of the Notes directly to the public at the public offering prices set forth on the cover page of this prospectus supplement and some of the Notes to dealers at the public offering prices less a concession not to exceed     % of the principal amount of the 2011 Notes and     % of the 2012 Notes. The underwriters may allow, and dealers may reallow a concession not to exceed     % of the principal amount of the Notes on sales to other dealers. After the initial offering of the Notes to the public, the representatives may change the public offering prices and concessions.

 

The following table shows the underwriting discounts and commissions that we are to pay to the underwriters in connection with this offering (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount of the Notes).

 

 

In connection with the offering, the representatives, on behalf of the underwriters, may purchase and sell Notes in the open market. These transactions may include over-allotment, syndicate covering transactions and stabilizing transactions. Over-allotment involves syndicate sales of Notes in excess of the principal amount of Notes to be purchased by the underwriters in the offering, which creates a syndicate short position. Syndicate covering transactions involve purchases of the Notes in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover syndicate short positions. Stabilizing transactions consist of certain bids or purchases of Notes made for the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the Notes while the offering is in progress.

 

The underwriters also may impose a penalty bid. Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member when the representatives, in covering syndicate short positions or making stabilizing purchases, repurchases Notes originally sold by that syndicate member.

 

Any of these activities may have the effect of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the Notes. They may also cause the price of the Notes to be higher than the price that otherwise would exist in the open market in the absence of these transactions. The underwriters may conduct these transactions in the over-the-counter market or otherwise. If the underwriters commence any of these transactions, they may discontinue them at any time.

 

We estimate that the total expenses for this offering will be $     , excluding underwriters’ discounts and commissions.

 

We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make because of any of those liabilities.

Selling Restrictions

 

In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area which has implemented the Prospectus Directive, the underwriters, with effect from and including the date on which the Prospectus Directive is implemented in that Member State, have not made and will not make an offer of Notes to the public in that Member State except that they may, with effect from and including such date, make an offer of Notes to the public in that Member State at any time:

 

 

For the purposes of the above, the expression an “offer of Notes to the public” in relation to any Notes in any Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the Notes to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe the Notes, as the same may be varied in that Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that Member State, and the expression Prospectus Directive means Directive 2003/7I/EC and includes any relevant implementing measure in that Member State.

 

The underwriters (a) have only communicated or caused to be communicated and will only communicate or cause to be communicated an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000) in connection with the issue or sale of the Notes in circumstances in which Section 21(1) of such Act does not apply to us and (b) have complied and will comply with all applicable provisions of such Act with respect to anything done by them in relation to any Notes in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom.

 

Conflicts of Interest

 

Certain of the underwriters have performed investment banking and advisory services for us from time to time for which they have received customary fees and expenses. The underwriters may, from time to time, engage in transactions with and perform services for us in the ordinary course of their business. Specifically, Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc., an affiliate of Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated, and UBS Securities LLC, act as documentation agents and bookrunners with respect to our revolving credit facility agreement.

 

Because more than 5% of the net proceeds from this offering may be paid to affiliates of Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated and UBS Securities LLC, both of which are members of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. (“FINRA”), this offering will be conducted in compliance with the applicable requirement of FINRA Rule 5110 and Rule 2720 of the National Association of Securities Dealers Conduct Rules (which are part of the FINRA Rules). See “Use of Proceeds.”

 

Baker Botts L.L.P., Dallas, Texas will pass upon certain legal matters for us in connection with the Notes offered by this prospectus supplement. Mayer Brown LLP, Chicago, Illinois, will pass upon certain legal matters for the underwriters in connection with this offering.

PROSPECTUS

 

 

 

Common Stock

Preferred Stock

Debt Securities

Guarantees of Debt Securities

Warrants

 

 

We may offer from time to time common stock, preferred stock, debt securities and warrants. Certain of our subsidiaries may guarantee the debt securities offered under this prospectus. Specific terms of these securities will be provided in one or more supplements to this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and any supplement carefully before you invest. No person may use this prospectus to offer and sell our securities unless a prospectus supplement accompanies this prospectus.

 

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “DPS”.

 

We may offer and sell the securities to or through one or more underwriters, dealers or agents, or directly to purchasers, on a continued or delayed basis. The names of any underwriters, dealers or agents and the terms of the arrangements with such entities will be stated in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

Investing in these securities involves certain risks. Please read carefully the information included and incorporated by reference in this prospectus for a discussion of the factors you should carefully consider before deciding to purchase these securities, including the discussion of risks incorporated as described under “Risk Factors” on page 4 of this prospectus.

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined whether this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

The date of this prospectus is December 14, 2009.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

 

We have not authorized anyone to give any information or to make any representations concerning the securities offered hereunder except those which are in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement that is delivered with this prospectus or any documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus. If anyone gives any other information or representation, you should not rely on it. This prospectus is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy these securities in any circumstances in which the offer or solicitation is unlawful. You should not interpret the delivery of this prospectus, or any offer or sale of these securities, as an indication that there has been no change in our affairs since the date of this prospectus.

 

Neither this prospectus nor any accompanying prospectus supplement contains all of the information included in the registration statement. We have omitted parts of the registration statement as permitted by the SEC’s rules and regulations. For further information, we refer you to the registration statement on Form S-3 we filed with the SEC on December 14, 2009, which can be read at the SEC web site or at the SEC office referenced under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.” The registration statement also includes exhibits. Statements contained in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus or a prospectus supplement, about the provisions or contents of any agreement or other document are not necessarily complete. If SEC rules and regulations require that any agreement or document be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement and we file the agreement or document, you should refer to that agreement or document for a complete description of these matters.

 

You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with the additional information under the heading “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference” herein.

 

As used in this prospectus, unless otherwise indicated, “DPS,” “our company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, except in each case where otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires.

 

Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. is a leading integrated brand owner, manufacturer and distributor of non-alcoholic beverages in the United States, Canada and Mexico, with a diverse portfolio of flavored (non-cola) carbonated soft drinks (“CSD”) and non-carbonated beverages (“NCB”), including ready-to-drink teas, juices, juice drinks and mixers. Our brand portfolio includes popular CSD brands such as Dr Pepper, 7UP, Sunkist soda, A&W, Canada Dry, Crush, Schweppes, Squirt, RC, Diet Rite, Sundrop, Welch’s, Vernors, Country Time and Peñafiel, and NCB brands such as Snapple, Mott’s, Hawaiian Punch, Clamato, Nantucket Nectars, Venom Energy, Yoo-Hoo, Mr & Mrs T, Margaritaville and Rose’s. 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.

 

We are a Delaware corporation with our principal executive offices located at 5301 Legacy Drive, Plano, Texas 75024. Our telephone number at such address is (972) 673-7000, and our website is www.drpeppersnapplegroup.com. Information contained on our website is not intended to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus and you should not consider that information a part of this prospectus.

 

This prospectus, any prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), including, in particular, statements about future events, future financial performance, plans, strategies, expectations, prospects, competitive environment, regulation and availability of raw materials.

Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts and can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as the words “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “plan,” “intend” or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current views with respect to future events and financial performance. Our actual financial performance could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty of estimates, forecasts and projections, and our financial performance may be better or worse than anticipated. Given these uncertainties, you should not put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements.

 

Forward-looking statements represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date that they were made. We do not undertake any duty to update the forward-looking statements, and the estimates and assumptions associated with them, except to the extent required by applicable securities laws. All of the forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the factors discussed in Item 1A under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, as amended by our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 11, 2009, and our other filings with the SEC. These risk factors may not be exhaustive as we operate in a continually changing business environment with new risks emerging from time to time that we are unable to predict or that we currently do not expect to have a material adverse effect on our business. You should carefully read those reports in their entirety as they contain important information about our business and the risks we face. See “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference” herein.

 

Before you invest in the securities covered by this prospectus, you should carefully consider the factors discussed in Item 1A under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, as amended by our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 11, 2009, the Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarterly periods ended March 31, June 30 and September 30, 2009, and the applicable prospectus supplement and cautionary notes regarding forward-looking statements included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, together with all of the other information included in this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement and the documents we incorporate by reference. See “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference” herein.

 

If any of the risks described in these reports or other documents were to materialize, our business, results of operations, cash flows, financial condition and prospects could be materially and adversely affected. In that case, our ability to make distributions to our stockholders or to pay interest on, or principal of, any debt securities issued by us, may be reduced, the trading prices of any of our publicly traded securities could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment.

 

The following table sets forth our ratio of consolidated earnings to consolidated fixed charges for the nine months ended September 30, 2009 and the five years ended December 31, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2004.

 

 

 

 

We had no preferred stock outstanding for any period presented, and accordingly, the ratio of consolidated earnings to combined fixed charges and preferred stock dividends is the same as the ratio of earnings to fixed charges.

 

Unless we inform you otherwise in the prospectus supplement, we expect to use the net proceeds from the sale of securities for general corporate purposes.

 

The following description of the material terms of our capital stock is based on the provisions of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (“Certificate of Incorporation”), our Amended and Restated By-Laws (“By-Laws”) and provisions of applicable law. We have summarized certain portions of the Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws below. The summary is not complete. The Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws are incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. For more information as to how you can obtain a current copy of our Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws, see “Where You Can Find More Information” herein.

 

General

 

Our authorized capital stock consists of 800,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, and 15,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share. Our board of directors may establish the rights and preferences of the preferred stock from time to time. As of December 9, 2009, 254,109,047 shares of our common stock were issued and outstanding and held of record by approximately 31,000 holders; and no shares of our preferred stock were issued or outstanding.

 

Common Stock

 

Each holder of our common stock is entitled to one vote for each share on all matters to be voted upon by the common stockholders and there are no cumulative voting rights. Subject to any preferential rights of any outstanding preferred stock, holders of our common stock are entitled to receive ratably the dividends, if any, as may be declared from time to time by the board of directors out of funds legally available. If there is a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our company, holders of our common stock will be entitled to share in our assets remaining after the payment of liabilities and any preferential rights of any outstanding preferred stock.

 

Holders of our common stock have no preemptive or conversion rights or other subscription rights and there are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the common stock. All outstanding shares of our common stock are fully paid and non-assessable. The rights, preferences and privileges of the holders of our common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of shares of any series of preferred stock which we may designate and issue in the future.

 

Preferred Stock

 

Under the terms of our Certificate of Incorporation, our board of directors is authorized, subject to limitations prescribed by the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”), and by our Certificate of Incorporation, to issue preferred stock in one or more series without stockholder approval. Our board of directors has the discretion, subject to limitations prescribed by the DGCL and by our Certificate of Incorporation, to determine the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions, including voting rights, dividend rights, conversion rights, redemption privileges and liquidation preferences, of each series of preferred stock.

Anti-Takeover Effects of Various Provisions of Delaware Law and Our Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws

 

Provisions of the DGCL and our Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws could make it more difficult to acquire us by means of a tender offer, a proxy contest or otherwise, or to remove incumbent officers and directors. These provisions, summarized below, would be expected to discourage certain types of coercive takeover practices and takeover bids our board of directors may consider inadequate and to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to first negotiate with us. We believe that the benefits of increased protection of our ability to negotiate with the proponent of an unfriendly or unsolicited proposal to acquire or restructure us will outweigh the disadvantages of discouraging takeover or acquisition proposals because, among other things, negotiation of these proposals could result in an improvement of their terms.

 

Composition of the Board

 

Our Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws provide that the directors will be classified with respect to the time for which they hold office into three classes. One class of directors was originally elected for a term expiring at the annual meeting of stockholders held in 2009, another class was originally elected for a term expiring at the annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2010 and a third class was originally elected for a term expiring at the annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2011, with each director to hold office until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified. Commencing with the 2009 annual meeting of stockholders, directors elected to succeed directors whose terms then expire will be elected for a term of office to expire at the third succeeding annual meeting of stockholders after their election, with each director to hold office until such person’s successor is duly elected and qualified.

 

Board Vacancies to be Filled by Remaining Directors and Not Stockholders

 

Our Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws provide that any vacancies, including any newly created directorships, on the board of directors, will be filled by the affirmative vote of the majority of the remaining directors then in office, even if such directors constitute less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director.

 

Removal of Directors by Stockholders

 

Our Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws provide that directors may be removed by stockholders only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the votes which all stockholders would be entitled to cast in any annual election of directors.

 

Stockholder Action

 

Our Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws preclude stockholders from calling special meetings and taking action or passing resolutions by written consent.

 

Advance Notice of Director Nominations and Stockholder Proposals

 

Our By-Laws contain advance notice procedures for stockholders to make nominations of candidates for election as directors or to bring other business before the annual meeting of stockholders. As specified in our By-Laws, director nominations and the proposal of business to be considered by stockholders may be made only pursuant to a notice of meeting, at the direction of the board of directors or by a stockholder who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who has complied with the advance notice procedures that are provided in our By-Laws.

 

To be timely, a nomination of a director by a stockholder or notice for business to be brought before an annual meeting by a stockholder must be delivered to the secretary at our principal executive offices not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting; provided, however, that in the event that the date of an annual meeting is advanced by more than 30 days or delayed by more than 60 days from such anniversary date, for notice by the stockholder to be timely, it must be delivered not earlier than the 120th day prior to such annual meeting and not later than the close of

business on the later of (i) the 90th day prior to such annual meeting and (ii) the 10th day following the day on which notice of such annual meeting was mailed or public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made, whichever first occurs.

 

In the event a special meeting of stockholders is called for the purpose of electing one or more directors, any stockholder entitled to vote may nominate a person or persons as specified in our By-Laws, but only if the stockholder notice is delivered to the secretary at our principal executive offices not earlier than the 120th day prior to such special meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of (x) the 90th day prior to such special meeting and (y) the 10th day following the day on which notice of the date of such special meeting was mailed or public disclosure of the date of such special meeting was made, whichever first occurs.

 

Amendments to the Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws

 

Our Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws require an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the voting power of the outstanding shares to amend certain provisions of our Certificate of Incorporation or By-Laws, including the ability of stockholders to call special meetings or act by written consent, the size of the board, the director removal provisions, filling vacancies on the board, indemnification of directors and officers, advance notice provisions and supermajority voting requirements.

 

Delaware Anti-Takeover Statute

 

We are subject to Section 203 of the DGCL, an anti-takeover statute. In general, Section 203 of the DGCL prohibits a publicly-held Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years following the time the person became an interested stockholder, unless (with certain exceptions) the business combination or the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder is approved in a prescribed manner. Generally, a “business combination” includes a merger, asset or stock sale or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. Generally, an “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns (or within three years prior to the determination of interested stockholder status did own) 15% or more of a corporation’s voting stock. The existence of this provision would be expected to have an anti-takeover effect with respect to transactions not approved in advance by the board of directors, including discouraging attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares of common stock held by stockholders.

 

No Cumulative Voting

 

The DGCL provides that stockholders are denied the right to cumulate votes in the election of directors unless our Certificate of Incorporation provides otherwise. Our Certificate of Incorporation does not provide for cumulative voting.

 

Limitations on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors

 

The DGCL authorizes corporations to limit or eliminate the personal liability of directors to corporations and their stockholders for monetary damages for breaches of directors’ fiduciary duties as directors. Our Certificate of Incorporation includes provisions that indemnify, to the fullest extent allowable under the DGCL, the personal liability of directors or officers for monetary damages for actions taken as a director or officer of our company, or for serving at our request as a director or officer or another position at another corporation or enterprise, as the case may be. Our Certificate of Incorporation also provides that we must indemnify and advance reasonable expenses to our directors and officers, subject to our receipt of an undertaking from the indemnified party as may be required under the DGCL. We are also expressly authorized to carry directors’ and officers’ insurance to protect our company, our directors, officers and certain employees for some liabilities.

 

The limitation of liability and indemnification provisions in our Certificate of Incorporation may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions may also have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and

officers, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. However, these provisions do not limit or eliminate our rights, or those of any stockholder, to seek non-monetary relief such as injunction or rescission in the event of a breach of a director’s duty of care. Moreover, the provisions do not alter the liability of directors under the federal securities laws. In addition, your investment may be adversely affected to the extent that, in a class action or direct suit, we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and officers pursuant to these indemnification provisions.

 

There is currently no pending material litigation or proceeding against any of our directors, officers or employees for which indemnification is sought.

 

Authorized but Unissued Shares

 

Our authorized but unissued shares of common stock and preferred stock are available for future issuance without your approval. We may use additional shares for a variety of purposes, including future public offerings to raise additional capital, to fund acquisitions and as employee compensation. The existence of authorized but unissued shares of common stock and preferred stock could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.

 

Stock Exchange Listing

 

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the ticker symbol “DPS”.

 

Transfer Agent and Registrar

 

Computershare Trust Company, N.A. is the transfer agent and registrar for our common stock.

 

Direct Registration System

 

Our common stock is registered in book-entry form through the direct registration system. Under this system, ownership of our common stock is reflected in account statements periodically distributed to stockholders by Computershare, our transfer agent, who holds the book-entry shares on behalf of our common stockholders.

 

The following is a general description of the debt securities that we may offer from time to time. The particular terms of the debt securities offered by us and the extent, if any, to which the general provisions described below may apply to those securities will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. As you read this section, please remember that the specific terms of a debt security as described in the applicable prospectus supplement will supplement and may modify or replace the general terms described in this section. If there are any differences between the applicable prospectus supplement and this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement will control. As a result, the statements we make in this section may not apply to the debt security you purchase.

 

Our debt securities, consisting of notes, debentures or other evidences of indebtedness, may be issued from time to time in one or more series pursuant to, in the case of senior debt securities, a senior indenture to be entered into between us and Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as trustee, and in the case of subordinated debt securities, a subordinated indenture to be entered into between us and a trustee to be named therein. To the extent any of the debt securities will be guaranteed (the “Subsidiary Guarantees”) by one or more of our subsidiaries (the “Subsidiary Guarantors”), the Subsidiary Guarantors guaranteeing such debt securities will enter into a supplemental indenture to the applicable indenture with us and the applicable trustee.

 

Because the following is only a summary of selected provisions of the indentures and the debt securities, it does not contain all information that may be important to you. This summary is not complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the base indentures and any supplemental indentures thereto or officer’s certificate or board resolution related thereto. We urge you to read the indentures because the indentures, not

this description, define the rights of the holders of the debt securities. The senior indenture and the subordinated indenture will be substantially in the forms included as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. The terms of our debt securities will include those set forth in the indentures and those made a part of the indentures by the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “Trust Indenture Act”).

 

Unless we inform you otherwise in the prospectus supplement, “Senior Debt” will mean all of our indebtedness, including guarantees, unless the indebtedness states that it is not senior to the subordinated debt securities

 

In this summary description of the debt securities, unless we state otherwise or the context clearly indicates otherwise, all references to “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. only and not to any of its subsidiaries.

 

General

 

Neither indenture limits the amount of debt securities that may be issued under that indenture, and neither indenture limits the amount of other unsecured debt or securities that we may issue. We may issue debt securities under the indentures from time to time in one or more series.

 

We are not obligated to issue all debt securities of one series at the same time and, unless otherwise provided in the prospectus supplement, we may reopen a series, without the consent of the holders of the debt securities of that series, for the issuance of additional debt securities of that series. Additional debt securities of a particular series will have the same terms and conditions as outstanding debt securities of such series, except for the date of original issuance and the offering price, and will be consolidated with, and form a single series with, such outstanding debt securities.

 

When we refer to “debt securities” or a “series of debt securities,” we mean, respectively, debt securities or a series of debt securities issued under the applicable indenture. When we refer to a prospectus supplement, we mean the prospectus supplement describing the specific terms of the applicable debt security. The terms used in a prospectus supplement will have the meanings described in this prospectus, unless otherwise specified.

 

The senior debt securities will constitute our senior unsecured indebtedness and will rank equally in right of payment with all of our other unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness and senior in right of payment with all of our subordinated indebtedness outstanding from time to time. The senior debt securities will be effectively subordinated to, and thus have a junior position to, any secured indebtedness we may have with respect to the assets securing that indebtedness. The subordinated debt securities will constitute our unsecured and subordinated obligations and will rank junior to all of our senior indebtedness and may rank equally with or senior to other subordinated indebtedness we may issue from time to time.

 

The debt securities will be obligations of Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc., which is a holding company with no material operating assets, other than the stock of its subsidiaries and loans to subsidiaries. All of Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.’s revenue and cash flow is generated through its subsidiaries. Accordingly, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.’s ability to make payments on its indebtedness, including the debt securities, and to fund its other obligations is dependent not only on the ability of its subsidiaries to generate cash, but also on the ability of its subsidiaries to distribute cash to it in the form of interest and principal payments on loans due to us, dividends, fees, interest, loans or otherwise. In addition, any debt securities will effectively rank junior to all liabilities of Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.’s subsidiaries that do not guarantee the debt securities (excluding any amounts owed by such subsidiaries to us). Claims of creditors of Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.’s subsidiaries that do not guarantee the debt securities generally will have priority with respect to the assets and earnings of such subsidiaries over the claims of Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.’s creditors, including holders of any debt securities. Accordingly, any debt securities will be effectively subordinated to creditors, including trade creditors and preferred stockholders, if any, of such subsidiaries.

 

Unless we inform you otherwise in the prospectus supplement, neither indenture will contain any covenants or other provisions designed to protect holders of the debt securities in the event we participate in a

highly leveraged transaction or upon a change of control. In addition, unless we inform you otherwise in the prospectus supplement, the indentures will not contain provisions that give holders of the debt securities the right to require us to repurchase their securities in the event of a decline in our credit rating for any reason, including as a result of a takeover, recapitalization or similar restructuring or otherwise.

 

The prospectus supplement relating to any series of debt securities being offered will include specific terms relating to the offering. These terms will include some or all of the following:

 

 

We may sell the debt securities at a discount, which may be substantial, below their stated principal amount. These debt securities may bear no interest or interest at a rate that at the time of issuance is below

market rates. If we sell these debt securities, we will describe in the prospectus supplement any material United States (“U.S.”) federal income tax consequences and other special considerations.

 

If we sell any of the debt securities for any foreign currency or if payments on the debt securities are payable in any foreign currency, we will describe in the prospectus supplement the restrictions, elections, tax consequences, specific terms and other information relating to those debt securities and the foreign currency.

 

Consolidation, Merger or Sale of Assets

 

We will not consolidate or combine with or merge with or into or, directly or indirectly, sell, assign, convey, lease, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets to any person or persons in a single transaction or through a series of transactions, unless:

 

 

If any consolidation or merger or any sale, assignment, conveyance, lease, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of our assets occurs in accordance with the applicable indenture, the surviving entity will succeed to, and be substituted for, and may exercise every right and power of DPS under the applicable indenture with the same effect as if such surviving entity had been named as DPS. We will (except in the case of a lease) be discharged from all obligations and covenants under the applicable indenture and any debt securities issued thereunder.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, we may merge or consolidate into or with any of our subsidiaries.

 

Subsidiary Guarantees

 

If specified in the prospectus supplement, one or more Subsidiary Guarantors will guarantee the debt securities of a series. Unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement, the following provisions will apply to the Subsidiary Guarantee of the Subsidiary Guarantors with respect to that series of debt securities.

 

Subject to the limitations described below and in the applicable prospectus supplement, the Subsidiary Guarantors will, jointly and severally, fully, unconditionally and irrevocably guarantee the full and punctual payment when due, whether at maturity, by acceleration, by redemption or otherwise, of the principal of, premium, if any, interest and additional amounts, if any, on the debt securities and all of our other monetary obligations under the indentures.

 

The obligations of each Subsidiary Guarantor under its Subsidiary Guarantee will be limited as necessary to prevent that Subsidiary Guarantee from constituting a fraudulent conveyance under applicable law.

 

In the case of subordinated debt securities, a Subsidiary Guarantor’s Subsidiary Guarantee will be subordinated in right of payment to the Senior Debt of such Subsidiary Guarantor on the same basis as the subordinated debt securities are subordinated to our Senior Debt. No payment will be made by any Subsidiary Guarantor under its Subsidiary Guarantee during any period in which payments by us on the subordinated debt securities are suspended by the subordination provisions of the subordinated indenture.

 

Each Subsidiary Guarantor that makes a payment under its Subsidiary Guarantee will be entitled upon payment in full of all guaranteed obligations under the indenture to contribution from each other Subsidiary

Guarantor in an amount equal to such other Subsidiary Guarantor’s pro rata portion of such payment based on the respective net assets of all the Subsidiary Guarantors at the time of such payment.

 

If a Subsidiary Guarantee were rendered voidable, it could be subordinated by a court to all other indebtedness (including guarantees and other contingent liabilities) of the applicable Subsidiary Guarantor, and, depending on the amount of such indebtedness, a Subsidiary Guarantor’s liability on its Subsidiary Guarantee could be reduced to zero.

 

The Subsidiary Guarantee of a Subsidiary Guarantor will be automatically and unconditionally released and discharged, without the consent of the holders of our debt securities, and no further action by us, any Subsidiary Guarantor or the trustee shall be required for such release (unless we shall notify the Trustee that no release and discharge shall occur as a result thereof) upon:

 

 

If specified in the prospectus supplement, we will cause any of our subsidiaries that guarantees, directly or indirectly, any of our indebtedness (including any indebtedness under any Credit Agreement) to at the same time, execute and deliver to the trustee a supplemental indenture pursuant to which such subsidiary will guarantee payment of the debt securities of such series on the same terms and conditions as those set forth in the indenture. Thereafter, such subsidiary shall be a Subsidiary Guarantor for all purposes of such series until such Subsidiary Guarantee is released in accordance with the provisions of the applicable indenture.

 

“Credit Agreements” means the Existing Credit Agreements as such agreements may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, and any agreement, indenture or other documentation relating to extensions, refinancings, replacements or restructuring of the credit facilities governed by the Existing Credit Agreements, whether the same or any other agent, agents, lenders or group of lenders is or are parties thereto.

 

“Existing Credit Agreements” means (1) the credit agreement dated as of March 10, 2008 and amended and restated on April 11, 2008 among DPS, the lenders and issuing banks party thereto, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent, Bank of America, N.A., as syndication agent, and Goldman Sachs Credit Partners L.P., Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc. and UBS Securities LLC, as documentation agents and (2) the 364-day bridge credit agreement dated as of March 10, 2008 and amended and restated on April 11, 2008 among DPS, the lenders and issuing banks party thereto, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent, Bank of America, N.A., as syndication agent, and Goldman Sachs Credit Partners L.P., Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc. and UBS Securities LLC, as documentation agents.

 

Events of Default

 

Unless we inform you otherwise in the prospectus supplement, the following are events of default with respect to a series of debt securities:

 

 

 

We may change, eliminate or add to the events of default with respect to any particular series or any particular debt security or debt securities within a series, as indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement. A default under one series of debt securities will not necessarily be a default under any other series.

 

If an event of default relating to certain events of our bankruptcy or insolvency occurs, all then outstanding debt securities of that series will become due and payable immediately without further action or notice. If any other event of default for any series of debt securities occurs and is continuing, the trustee may and, at the direction of the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series shall, declare all of those debt securities to be due and payable immediately by notice in writing to us and, in case of a notice by holders, also to the trustee specifying the respective event of default and that it is a notice of acceleration.

 

Subject to certain limitations, holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may direct the trustee in its exercise of any trust or power with respect to that series. The trustee may withhold from holders of the debt securities of any series notice of any continuing default or event of default for such series if it determines that withholding notice is in their interest, except a default or event of default relating to the payment of principal, interest, premium or additional amounts, if any.

 

Subject to the provisions of the applicable indenture relating to the duties of the trustee, in case an event of default for any series occurs and is continuing, the trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers under the indenture at the request or direction of any holders of debt securities of that series unless such holders have offered to the trustee reasonable indemnity or security against any loss, liability or expense. Except to enforce the right to receive payment of principal, premium or additional amounts, if any, or interest when due, no holder of debt securities of a series may pursue any remedy with respect to the indenture or the debt securities unless:

 

 

 

Holders of a debt security are entitled at any time, however, to bring a lawsuit for the payment of money due on a debt security on or after its stated maturity (or, if a debt security is redeemable, on or after its redemption date).

 

The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the debt securities of any series by notice to the trustee may, on behalf of the holders of all of the debt securities of that series, rescind an acceleration or waive any existing default or event of default for such series and its consequences under the indenture except a continuing default or event of default in the payment of interest, additional amounts or premium on, or the principal of, the debt securities.

 

With respect to subordinated debt securities, all the remedies available upon the occurrence of an event of default under the subordinated debt indenture will be subject to the restrictions on the subordinated debt securities described below under “— Subordination.”

 

Book-entry and other indirect owners should consult their banks or brokers for information on how to give notice or direction to or make a request for the trustee and how to declare or cancel an acceleration of the maturity.

 

We are required to deliver to the trustee annually a statement regarding compliance with the indenture. Upon becoming aware of any default or event of default, we are required within five business days to deliver to the trustee a statement specifying such default or event of default.

 

Subordination

 

Under the subordinated indenture, payment of the principal of and any premium and interest on the subordinated debt securities will generally be subordinated and junior in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all Senior Debt. Unless we inform you otherwise in the prospectus supplement, we may not make any payment of principal of or any premium or interest on the subordinated debt securities if:

 

 

Unless we inform you otherwise in the prospectus supplement, a non-payment default will prevent us from paying the subordinated debt securities only for up to 179 days after holders of the designated Senior Debt give the trustee for the subordinated debt securities notice of the non-payment default.

 

The subordination will not affect our obligation, which will be absolute and unconditional, to pay, when due, the principal of and any premium and interest on the subordinated debt securities. In addition, the subordination will not prevent the occurrence of any default under the subordinated indenture.

 

Unless we inform you otherwise in the prospectus supplement, the subordinated indenture will not limit the amount of Senior Debt that we may incur. As a result of the subordination of the subordinated debt securities, if we become insolvent, holders of subordinated debt securities may receive less on a proportionate basis than other creditors.

 

Modification and Waiver

 

Except as provided in the next four succeeding paragraphs, each indenture and the debt securities issued under each indenture may be amended or supplemented with the consent of the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the debt securities of each series affected by the change, voting as separate classes for this purpose, and any existing default or event of default or compliance with any provision of the indenture or the debt securities may be waived with the consent of the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding debt securities of each series affected by the waiver, voting as

separate classes for this purpose, in each case, except as may otherwise be provided pursuant to such indenture for all or any particular debt securities of any series.

 

Without the consent of each holder of debt securities of the series affected, an amendment, supplement or waiver may not (with respect to any debt securities of such series held by a non-consenting holder):

 

 

in each case, except as may otherwise be provided pursuant to such indenture for all or any particular debt securities of any series.

 

We may not amend the subordinated indenture to alter the subordination of any outstanding subordinated debt securities without the written consent of each holder of Senior Debt then outstanding who would be adversely affected (or the group or representative thereof authorized or required to consent thereto pursuant to the instrument creating or evidencing, or pursuant to which there is outstanding, such Senior Debt), except as may otherwise be provided pursuant to such indenture for all or any particular debt securities of any series. In addition, we may not modify the subordination provisions of the indenture related to subordinated debt securities in a manner that would adversely affect the subordinated debt securities of any one or more series then outstanding in any material respect, without the consent of the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of each affected series then outstanding, voting as separate classes, except as may otherwise be provided pursuant to such indenture for all or any particular debt securities of any series.

 

Book-entry and other indirect owners should consult their banks or brokers for information on how approval may be granted or denied if we seek to change an indenture or any debt securities or request a waiver.

 

We and the trustee may supplement or amend each indenture or the debt securities without notice to or the consent of any holders of debt securities issued under that indenture in certain circumstances, including:

 

 

 

in each case, except as may otherwise be provided pursuant to such indenture for all or any particular debt securities of any series.

 

Special Rules for Action by Holders

 

Only holders of outstanding debt securities of the applicable series will be eligible to take any action under the applicable indenture, such as giving a notice of default, declaring an acceleration, approving any change or waiver or giving the trustee an instruction with respect to debt securities of that series. Also, we will count only outstanding debt securities in determining whether the various percentage requirements for taking action have been met. Any debt securities owned by us or any of our affiliates or surrendered for cancellation or for payment or redemption of which money has been set aside in trust are not deemed to be outstanding. Any required approval or waiver must be given by written consent.

 

In some situations, we may follow special rules in calculating the principal amount of debt securities that are to be treated as outstanding for the purposes described above. This may happen, for example, if the principal amount is payable in a non-U.S. dollar currency, increases over time or is not to be fixed until maturity.

 

We will generally be entitled to set any day as a record date for the purpose of determining the holders that are entitled to take action under either indenture. In certain limited circumstances, only the trustee will be entitled to set a record date for action by holders. If we or the trustee sets a record date for an approval or

other action to be taken by holders, that vote or action may be taken only by persons or entities who are holders on the record date and must be taken during the period that we specify for this purpose, or that the trustee specifies if it sets the record date. We or the trustee, as applicable, may shorten or lengthen this period from time to time. This period, however, may not extend beyond the 180th day after the record date for the action. In addition, record dates for any global debt security may be set in accordance with procedures established by the depositary from time to time. Accordingly, record dates for global debt securities may differ from those for other debt securities.

 

Defeasance and Discharge

 

Defeasance

 

When we use the term defeasance, we mean discharge from some or all of our obligations under an indenture. If we deposit with the trustee under an indenture any combination of money or government securities sufficient to make payments on the debt securities of a series issued under that indenture on the dates those payments are due, then, at our option, either of the following will occur:

 

 

If a series of debt securities is defeased, the holders of the debt securities of that series will not be entitled to the benefits of the applicable indenture, except for obligations to register the transfer or exchange of debt securities, replace stolen, lost or mutilated debt securities, maintain paying agencies and hold money for payment in trust. In the case of covenant defeasance, our obligation to pay principal, premium and interest on the debt securities will also survive.

 

Unless we inform you otherwise in the prospectus supplement, we will be required to deliver to the trustee an opinion of counsel that the deposit and related defeasance would not cause the holders of the debt securities to recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes and that the holders would be subject to federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit and related defeasance had not occurred. If we elect legal defeasance, that opinion of counsel must be based upon a ruling from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service or a change in law to that effect.

 

Satisfaction and Discharge

 

An indenture will be discharged and will cease to be of further effect with respect to the debt securities of a series issued under that indenture, except for our obligation to register the transfer of and exchange debt securities of that series, when:

 

 

 

 

In addition, we must deliver an officers’ certificate and an opinion of counsel to the trustee stating that all conditions precedent to satisfaction and discharge have been satisfied.

 

Governing Law

 

New York law will govern the indentures and the debt securities.

 

The Trustee

 

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. will be the trustee under the senior indenture. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. serves as trustee under an indenture related to other senior securities that we have issued. We may have normal banking relationships with the trustee under the subordinated indenture in the ordinary course of business.

 

If the trustee becomes a creditor of DPS or any Subsidiary Guarantor, the applicable indenture will limit the right of the trustee to obtain payment of claims in certain cases or to realize on certain property received in respect of any such claim as security or otherwise. The trustee will be permitted to engage in other transactions; however, if it acquires any conflicting interest (as defined in the Trust Indenture Act) after a default has occurred and is continuing, it must eliminate such conflict within 90 days, apply to the SEC for permission to continue as trustee (if the indenture has been qualified under the Trust Indenture Act) or resign.

 

The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of debt securities of a particular series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for exercising any remedy available to the trustee with respect to that series, subject to certain exceptions. The indenture will provide that in case an event of default occurs and is continuing, the trustee will be required, in the exercise of its power, to use the degree of care of a prudent man in the conduct of his own affairs. Subject to such provisions, the trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under the indenture at the request of any holder of debt securities, unless such holder has offered to the trustee security and indemnity satisfactory to it against any loss, liability or expense.

 

Payments and Paying Agents

 

Unless we inform you otherwise in a prospectus supplement, we will make payments on the debt securities in U.S. dollars at the office of the trustee and any paying agent. At our option, however, payments may be made by check mailed to the address of the person entitled to the payment as it appears in the security register. Unless we inform you otherwise in a prospectus supplement, we will make interest payments to the person in whose name the debt security is registered at the close of business on the record date for the interest payment.

 

We will make payments on a global debt security in accordance with the applicable policies of the depositary as in effect from time to time. Under those policies, we will pay directly to the depositary, or its nominee, and not to any indirect owners who own beneficial interests in the global debt security. An indirect owner’s right to receive payments will be governed by the rules and practices of the depositary and its participants.

Unless we inform you otherwise in a prospectus supplement, the trustee under the applicable indenture will be designated as the paying agent for payments on debt securities issued under that indenture. We may at any time designate additional paying agents or rescind the designation of any paying agent or approve a change in the office through which any paying agent acts.

 

If the principal of or any premium or interest on debt securities of a series is payable on a day that is not a business day, the payment will be made on the following business day with the same force and effect as if made on such interest payment date, and no additional interest will accrue solely as a result of such delayed payment. For these purposes, unless we inform you otherwise in a prospectus supplement, a “business day” is any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which banking institutions in New York, New York or another place of payment on the debt securities of that series are authorized or required by law to close.

 

Book-entry and other indirect owners should consult their banks or brokers for information on how they will receive payments on their debt securities.

 

Regardless of who acts as paying agent, all money paid by us to a paying agent that remains unclaimed at the end of one year after the amount is due to a holder will be repaid to us. After that one-year period, the holder may look only to us for payment and not to the trustee, any other paying agent or anyone else.

 

Redemption or Repayment

 

If there are any provisions regarding redemption or repayment applicable to a debt security, we will describe them in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

We or our affiliates may purchase debt securities from investors who are willing to sell from time to time, either in the open market at prevailing prices or in private transactions at negotiated prices. Debt securities that we or they purchase may, at our discretion, be held, resold or canceled.

 

Notices

 

Notices to be given to holders of a global debt security will be given only to the depositary, in accordance with its applicable policies as in effect from time to time. Notices to be given to holders of debt securities not in global form will be sent by mail to the respective addresses of the holders as they appear in the trustee’s records, and will be deemed given when mailed. Neither the failure to give any notice to a particular holder, nor any defect in a notice given to a particular holder, will affect the sufficiency of any notice given to another holder.

 

Book-entry and other indirect owners should consult their banks or brokers for information on how they will receive notices.

 

Book-Entry; Delivery and Form

 

Unless we inform you otherwise in the prospectus supplement, any debt securities will be issued in registered, global form (“global debt securities”).

 

The global debt securities will be deposited upon issuance with the trustee as custodian for DTC, in New York, New York, and registered in the name of DTC or its nominee, in each case, for credit to an account of a direct or indirect participant in DTC as described below.

 

Except as set forth below, the global debt securities may be transferred, in whole and not in part, only to another nominee of DTC or to a successor of DTC or its nominee. Beneficial interests in the global debt securities may not be exchanged for definitive debt securities in registered certificated form (“certificated debt securities”) except in the limited circumstances.

 

Transfers of beneficial interests in the global debt securities will be subject to the applicable rules and procedures of DTC and its direct or indirect participants (including, if applicable, those of Euroclear and Clearstream), which may change from time to time.

 

We may issue warrants to purchase our debt or equity securities or other rights, including rights to receive payment in cash or securities based on the value, rate or price of one or more specified commodities, currencies, securities or indices, or any combination of the foregoing. Warrants may be issued independently or together with any other securities and may be attached to, or separate from, such securities. Each series of warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and a bank or trust company, as warrant agent. The warrant agent will act solely as our agent in connection with the warrants and will not have any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for or with any holders or beneficial owners of warrants. The terms of any warrants to be issued and a description of the material provisions of the applicable warrant agreement will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the following terms of any warrants in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered:

 

 

We may sell the offered securities in and outside the United States (1) through underwriters or dealers, (2) directly to purchasers, including our affiliates, (3) through agents or (4) through a combination of any of these methods. The prospectus supplement will include the following information:

 

 

Sale Through Underwriters or Dealers

 

If we use underwriters in the sale, the underwriters will acquire the securities for their own account. The underwriters may resell the securities from time to time in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions, at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of sale. Underwriters may offer securities to the public either through underwriting syndicates represented by one or more managing underwriters or directly by one or more firms acting as underwriters. Unless we inform you otherwise in the prospectus supplement, the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the securities will be subject to certain conditions, and the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all the offered securities if they purchase any of them. The underwriters may change from time to time any initial public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers.

 

During and after an offering through underwriters, the underwriters may purchase and sell the securities in the open market. These transactions may include overallotment and stabilizing transactions and purchases to cover syndicate short positions created in connection with the offering. The underwriters may also impose a penalty bid, which means that selling concessions allowed to syndicate members or other broker-dealers for the offered securities sold for their account may be reclaimed by the syndicate if the offered securities are repurchased by the syndicate in stabilizing or covering transactions. These activities may stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the market price of the offered securities, which may be higher than the price that might otherwise prevail in the open market. If commenced, the underwriters may discontinue these activities at any time.

 

If we use dealers in the sale of securities, we will sell the securities to them as principals. They may then resell those securities to the public at varying prices determined by the dealers at the time of resale. The dealers participating in any sale of the securities may be deemed to be underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act, with respect to any sale of those securities. We will include in the prospectus supplement the names of the dealers and the terms of the transaction.

 

Direct Sales and Sales Through Agents

 

We may sell the securities directly. In that event, no underwriters or agents would be involved. We may also sell the securities through agents we designate from time to time. In the prospectus supplement, we will name any agent involved in the offer or sale of the offered securities, and we will describe any commissions payable by us to the agent. Unless we inform you otherwise in the prospectus supplement, any agent will agree to use its reasonable best efforts to solicit purchases for the period of its appointment.

We may sell the securities directly to institutional investors or others who may be deemed to be underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act with respect to any sale of those securities. We will describe the terms of any such sales in the prospectus supplement.

 

Remarketing

 

We may offer and sell any of the offered securities in connection with a remarketing upon their purchase, in accordance with a redemption or repayment by their terms or otherwise by one or more remarketing firms acting as principals for their own accounts or as our agents. We will identify any remarketing firm, the terms of any remarketing agreement and the compensation to be paid to the remarketing firm in the prospectus supplement. Remarketing firms may be deemed underwriters under the Securities Act.

 

Derivative Transactions

 

We may enter into derivative transactions with third parties, or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. If the applicable prospectus supplement indicates, in connection with those derivatives, the third parties may sell securities covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, including in short sale transactions. If so, the third parties may use securities pledged by us or borrowed from us or others to settle those sales or to close out any related open borrowings of stock, and may use securities received from us in settlement of those derivatives to close out any related open borrowings of stock. The third parties in these sale transactions will be underwriters and, if not identified in this prospectus, will be identified in the applicable prospectus supplement or in a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.

 

General Information

 

We may have agreements with the remarketing firms, agents, dealers and underwriters to indemnify them against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute with respect to payments that the agents, dealers or underwriters may be required to make. Such firms, agents, dealers and underwriters may be customers of, engage in transactions with or perform services for us in the ordinary course of their businesses.

 

Each series of offered securities, other than the common stock, which is listed on the NYSE, will have no established trading market. We may elect to list any series of offered securities on an exchange, but we are not obligated to do so. It is possible that one or more underwriters may make a market in a series of offered securities. However, they will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue market making at any time without notice. We cannot assure you that a liquid trading market for any of our offered securities will develop.

 

We are subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange Act, and in accordance therewith we file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy any reports, statements or other information we file with the SEC at its public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. Our SEC filings are also available to the public from commercial document retrieval services and at the worldwide web site maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. You may also inspect those reports, proxy statements and other information concerning us at the offices of the NYSE, 20 Broad Street, New York, New York 10005, on which shares of our common stock are currently listed.

 

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-3 relating to the securities covered by this prospectus. This prospectus is a part of the registration statement and does not contain all the information in the registration statement. Whenever a reference is made in this prospectus to a contract or other document of ours or one of our subsidiaries, the reference is only a summary and you should refer to the exhibits that are a part of the registration statement for a copy of the contract or other document. You may review a copy of the registration statement and all of its exhibits at the SEC’s public reference room in Washington, D.C., as well as through the SEC’s web site.

 

The SEC allows information to be “incorporated by reference” into this prospectus, which means that important information can be disclosed to you by referring you to another document filed separately by us with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus, except for any information superseded by information in this prospectus. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. This prospectus incorporates by reference the following documents (other than documents or information deemed to have been furnished and not filed in accordance with SEC rules):

 

 

In addition, all documents that we file with the SEC on or after the date hereof under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (other than information furnished under Items 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K) will be incorporated by reference until the offering or offerings to which this prospectus relates are completed.

 

You may obtain without charge a copy of documents that are incorporated by reference in this prospectus by requesting them in writing at the following address: Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc., 5301 Legacy Drive, Plano, Texas 75024, Attn: Investor Relations. Our telephone number at such address is (972) 673-7000. These documents may also be accessed through our website at www.drpeppersnapplegroup.com or as described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information” above. Information contained on our website is not intended to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus and you should not consider that information a part of this prospectus.

 

Baker Botts L.L.P., Dallas, Texas, will pass on the legality of the securities offered through this prospectus. Any underwriters, dealers or agents will be advised about legal matters relating to any offering by Mayer Brown LLP, Chicago, Illinois.

 

The consolidated financial statements incorporated in this prospectus by reference from Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 11, 2009, have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report, which is incorporated herein by reference (which report expresses an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements and includes an explanatory paragraph regarding the allocation of certain general corporate overhead costs through May 7, 2008 from Cadbury Schweppes plc and Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.’s change in method of accounting for uncertainties in income taxes as of January 1, 2007). Such consolidated financial statements have been so incorporated in reliance upon the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

 

$     

 

 

$          % SENIOR NOTES DUE 2011

$          % SENIOR NOTES DUE 2012

 

 

 

Prospectus Supplement

          , 2009

 

 

 

Joint Book-Running Managers

 

MORGAN STANLEY

UBS INVESTMENT BANK