Americans have no shortage of choices when they want to buy a soda, and Pepsi is fighting for consumers in one of the industry’s most competitive markets.
Coca-Cola remains the most widely consumed soft drink in the U.S. About 60% of Americans surveyed by Statista reported consuming it in the past year.
Pepsi followed at 48%, only narrowly ahead of Dr Pepper and Sprite (a Coca-Cola product), both at 46%, according to Statista Consumer Insights.
PepsiCo’s Mountain Dew and Keurig Dr Pepper’s 7UP were each consumed by 36% of respondents, illustrating how closely major beverage companies compete across several soda categories.
And as PepsiCo fights for shoppers on store shelves, the company continues to change parts of the network that deliver those beverages.
In the most recent change within its U.S. distribution network, the beverage giant is handing over its South Carolina operations to an outside logistics provider.
As a result, it will eliminate 105 warehouse jobs at its Columbia, South Carolina, facility.
Additionally, TheStreet has identified at least four PepsiCo warehouse or distribution actions in 2026 that will affect 583 jobs. This includes closures or workforce reductions in California, Florida, Oklahoma, and now South Carolina.
The circumstances differ at each location, and PepsiCo has not characterized the actions as a single restructuring program.
But the changes come as the company emphasizes productivity, supply-chain modernization, and new ways of moving its food and beverage products across North America.
PepsiCo warehouse changes affect 583 workers
The latest action involves PepsiCo Beverages Sales’ facility at 6925 N. Main Street in Columbia.
As a result, 105 workers are expected to lose their jobs beginning Oct. 18, according to a WARN reviewed by TheStreet. The majority (57) are warehouse workers, forklift operators, and checkers, among other roles.
The facility itself will remain open, and its remaining operations will continue without interruption.
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PepsiCo said management of the warehouse operation will transition to an external logistics provider.
In a statement provided to TheStreet, PepsiCo Beverages US said it is “shifting how warehouse logistics are managed at our Columbia, South Carolina, facility to continue to support our customers and consumers in the area.”
The company added that the facility will remain open and fully operational.
“We are committed to treating impacted employees with utmost care, including assistance with applying to work with the new logistics provider and offering pay and benefits continuation based on their years of service, along with transition assistance and career support,” PepsiCo also said.
The South Carolina move follows another major warehouse restructuring reported by TheStreet in July.
PepsiCo Beverages eliminated 184 warehouse jobs at its Tulsa, Oklahoma, operation while keeping beverage production running at the same site.
At the time, the company said warehouse operations were being moved to another facility in the Tulsa area.
Together, the changes in Tulsa and Columbia affect 289 jobs at PepsiCo beverage warehouses. They also follow two earlier distribution actions within PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay business.
Frito-Lay permanently closed its Rancho Cucamonga, California, warehouse in June, affecting 248 logistics and distribution workers. Another off-site warehouse in Orlando closed in May, affecting 46 employees.
Taken together, the four actions have affected at least 583 workers in 2026.
PepsiCo targets more supply-chain efficiency
In its second-quarter 2026 earnings report, PepsiCo said it plans to optimize its North American supply chain and go-to-market systems as part of a broader effort to improve productivity and profitability.
The company has said it expects another record year of productivity savings in 2026 and is expanding automation, digitalization, and simplification across its operations.
PepsiCo has also tested ways to combine parts of its traditionally separate food and beverage distribution networks.
During the company’s latest earnings call, CEO Ramon Laguarta discussed the expansion of “mixing centers,” which allow PepsiCo to consolidate food and beverage inventory and potentially share deliveries and vehicle fleets.
PepsiCo has historically operated much of its North American food and beverage distribution through separate warehouses, inventory systems, and delivery networks.
The company has also pursued new technology across its supply chain.
In June, PepsiCo unveiled a multiyear agreement with autonomous-freight company Gatik to expand autonomous trucking across parts of its North American food and beverage network.
PepsiCo has separately partnered with Siemens and Nvidia on digital twin and artificial intelligence technologies. They are designed to simulate factories and warehouses and identify ways to increase capacity and improve operations.
Amid these changes, the latest move adds another location to a growing list of changes across PepsiCo’s U.S. warehouse and distribution network.
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