Coca-Cola has launched legal action against Vue after the cinema chain ended a near-25-year partnership and switched to PepsiCo as its soft drink supplier across Europe. Vue, which operates more than 220 cinemas in eight countries, selected PepsiCo last year for a deal running until at least 2030.
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Great Britain filed the claim to recover alleged unpaid debts following the contract’s termination. Vue said Coca-Cola also owed it money, but no legal action was taken on its side. Vue’s chief executive, Tim Richards, criticised the move, saying the dispute could have been resolved without lawyers and involved less than £100,000.
Vue later confirmed the disagreement had been settled and the winding-up petition withdrawn. Coca-Cola declined to comment. The switch mirrors a similar move by Cineworld, which replaced Coca-Cola with PepsiCo in 2020.
