Coca-Cola To Be Official Soft Drink Of Ocean City

OCEAN CITY, Md. (AP) -- Coca-Cola will become the official soft drink of Ocean City in the spring.

Officials in the Maryland resort town have approved a five-year agreement with Coca-Cola Refreshments that will make it the exclusive beverage franchise holder in the town. That means Coca-Cola will be served at all town-owned properties and town-operated events.

As part of the contract, Coca-Cola will give Ocean City an annual cash payment of $65,000, commission on product sales, media advertising, free products for town events and marketing and promotional support. The contract also designates Coca-Cola as the "official soft drink of Ocean City."

The contract takes effect April 2 and has an estimated annual value of about $286,170.

The agreement succeeds the current contract held by PepsiBottling Ventures.

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