Fanshawe exclusivity deal with Coke is “the Real Thing”
Coke got one step closer to world domination last week when Fanshawe College and the Student Union negotiated a five-year deal with Cola-Cola, which would guarantee the beverage dealer exclusive rights to sell their product throughout the entire school.
According to David Smith, Manager of Retail Services at Fanshawe, prior to the deal Fanshawe's campus was 95 per cent occupied by Coke and that the only Pepsi product sold on campus was in vending machines.
The Student Union's year and a half contract was up with the soft drink giant and the college's agreement with Chartwell's had ended, which made it an opportune time for the two to collaborate on a deal with Coke.
“The Student Union and the College partnered on a campus-wide agreement,” said Paul Masse, Business manager of the Student Union.
Smith said there was “more power in numbers,” which is why the two organizations collaborated. He also said both Coke and Pepsi submitted a bid for the exclusive rights, but Coke offered more up-front funding.
The funding will go directly towards the Fanshawe's Capital Campaign, which funds the library, labs, scholarships and bursaries, as well as many other student-related projects.
Student Union President Melissa Smart said the affiliation with Coke would give the students access to speakers and educational tools through the many associations the company has with other venders.
Masse said the deal would also bring new vending machines to the school, which will be compatible with meal and debit cards.
The amount of funding Fanshawe will receive from Coca-Cola was not disclosed.
“We are being rewarded for them serving us for the last 25 years,” Smith said.
Smart represented the student body in the negotiations and said students were not surveyed for their opinion prior to the decision, although Smith said Coke sales at Fanshawe are much higher then that of Pepsi.
“London is a Coke city,” Smith said.
On October 19 and 20 of this year the students of McMaster University in Hamilton voted against having only Coca-Cola products sold on their campus. According to the Globe and Mail, over half of the students voted against the exclusive Coke contract that was worth $6 million. The University of Guelph also successfully terminated their agreement with Coke.
Students on campuses in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom have opposed the exclusive Coke contracts based on allegations that the Coca-Cola Company is responsible for paramilitary groups who were accused of killing and torturing trade union leaders at Coke plants in Colombia.
Smith said these allegations were not discussed during the negotiations and he believes there is no merit to the accusations against Coca-Cola.
UBC, the first University in Canada to sign an exclusivity agreement with a soft drink company that was worth $8.5 million, had to add another two years on to their 10 year contract because the school failed to sell their quota of Coke. The school received no further compensation from the company for the extra years.
According to David Smith, Manager of Retail Services at Fanshawe, prior to the deal Fanshawe's campus was 95 per cent occupied by Coke and that the only Pepsi product sold on campus was in vending machines.
The Student Union's year and a half contract was up with the soft drink giant and the college's agreement with Chartwell's had ended, which made it an opportune time for the two to collaborate on a deal with Coke.
“The Student Union and the College partnered on a campus-wide agreement,” said Paul Masse, Business manager of the Student Union.
Smith said there was “more power in numbers,” which is why the two organizations collaborated. He also said both Coke and Pepsi submitted a bid for the exclusive rights, but Coke offered more up-front funding.
The funding will go directly towards the Fanshawe's Capital Campaign, which funds the library, labs, scholarships and bursaries, as well as many other student-related projects.
Student Union President Melissa Smart said the affiliation with Coke would give the students access to speakers and educational tools through the many associations the company has with other venders.
Masse said the deal would also bring new vending machines to the school, which will be compatible with meal and debit cards.
The amount of funding Fanshawe will receive from Coca-Cola was not disclosed.
“We are being rewarded for them serving us for the last 25 years,” Smith said.
Smart represented the student body in the negotiations and said students were not surveyed for their opinion prior to the decision, although Smith said Coke sales at Fanshawe are much higher then that of Pepsi.
“London is a Coke city,” Smith said.
On October 19 and 20 of this year the students of McMaster University in Hamilton voted against having only Coca-Cola products sold on their campus. According to the Globe and Mail, over half of the students voted against the exclusive Coke contract that was worth $6 million. The University of Guelph also successfully terminated their agreement with Coke.
Students on campuses in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom have opposed the exclusive Coke contracts based on allegations that the Coca-Cola Company is responsible for paramilitary groups who were accused of killing and torturing trade union leaders at Coke plants in Colombia.
Smith said these allegations were not discussed during the negotiations and he believes there is no merit to the accusations against Coca-Cola.
UBC, the first University in Canada to sign an exclusivity agreement with a soft drink company that was worth $8.5 million, had to add another two years on to their 10 year contract because the school failed to sell their quota of Coke. The school received no further compensation from the company for the extra years.
