Oct. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Pepsi Bottling Group Inc. plans to continue seeking brands to distribute beyond PepsiCo Inc.’s after its takeover by the soft-drink maker.

“We would expect to continue to look for brands beyond PepsiCo, to make sure we have the most powerful lineup,” Pepsi Bottling Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Eric Foss said today on a conference call.

PepsiCo, based in Purchase, New York, has agreed to buy its two largest distributors, Somers, New York-based Pepsi Bottling and Minneapolis-based PepsiAmericas Inc., to form a joint unit to be run by Foss. The deal may close by the end of this year or early in 2010, PepsiCo executives have said.

Pepsi Bottling already distributes non-PepsiCo brands including Crush orange soda made by Plano, Texas-based Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc.

Pepsi Bottling had third-quarter profit of $1.06 a share on a comparable basis, according to a statement today. Analysts surveyed by Bloomberg estimated profit of $1.07 a share on average.

Pepsi Bottling rose 3 cents to $37.34 at 4:15 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The shares have gained 66 percent this year. PepsiCo advanced 2 cents to $60.87 and has gained 11 percent this year.

To contact the reporter on this story: Duane Stanford in Atlanta at dstanford2@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: October 6, 2009 16:50 EDT