Pepsi Ducks Class Action Claims in Price Discrimination Case

A federal judge struck down class action allegations accusing PepsiCo. Inc. and its Frito Lay North America Inc. unit of charging independent convenience stores higher prices for popular snack chip brands than they imposed on large grocery chain competitors.

The ruling, filed late Wednesday in the US District Court for the Central District of California, means the case can’t proceed as a class action with thousands of potential plaintiffs. It also significantly reduces the financial exposure for the soda maker.

Only two plaintiffs remain, Alqosh Enterprises Inc. and NMRM Inc., which does business as Sunset Market and Liquor. Both ...