Dr Pepper/Seven Up to Cut 10% of Jobs

Dr Pepper/Seven Up Cos. said it will begin immediately eliminating about 10% of its work force to streamline operations. About 110 corporate and administrative positions will be cut, mostly from its Dallas headquarters. However, workers will also be laid off in St. Louis, Connecticut and Canada, as well as from field sales offices around the country, said company spokesman Michael Martin. Martin estimated the cuts will result in savings in the “millions of dollars,” but he declined to be more specific. Executives said some jobs are being eliminated because technology has made them obsolete. Martin said the soft-drink company has not undergone a major restructuring review in the last decade. Dr Pepper/Seven Up said the restructuring, which will continue through 1998, resulted from British parent company Cadbury Schweppes’ global effort to improve shareholder return.