SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                       ----------------------------------

                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT
                     PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE
                         SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

                DATE OF REPORT (DATE OF EARLIEST EVENT REPORTED)

                                NOVEMBER 14, 1996


                       COCA-COLA BOTTLING CO. CONSOLIDATED
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


         Delaware                  0-9286                       56-0950585
(State or other jurisdiction  (Commission File Number)       (IRS Employer 
     of incorporation)                                    Identification No.)



               1900 Rexford Road, Charlotte, North Carolina 28211
                (Address of principal executive offices Zip Code)


                                 (704) 551-4400
               Registrant's telephone number, including area code






Item 5.  Other Events


On November 14, 1996, the Company issued the following press release:







(COCA-COLA LOGO)

                COCA-COLA BOTTLING CO. CONSOLIDATED            NEWS RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT:                        INVESTOR CONTACT:
Lauren C. Steele                      David V. Singer
Vice President, Corporate Affairs     Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
704-551-4551                          704-551-4604

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                 Symbol:  COKE
Thursday, November 14, 1996           Quoted: The Nasdaq Stock Market 
                                                 (National Market)


           Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Announces Dutch auction Self Tender

Charlotte, NC, November 14, 1996 - Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated announced
today that its Board of Directors  has  authorized  a Dutch  auction self tender
offer to purchase for cash up to 500,000 shares of its outstanding Common Stock.
The offer will commence on Thursday,  November 14, 1996, and will expire, unless
extended, at 5:00 P.M. on Friday,  December 13, 1996. Terms of the Dutch auction
tender offer, which are described more fully in the Offer to Purchase and Letter
of  Transmittal,  pursuant to which the offer is being made,  include a purchase
price not greater than $47.50 nor less than $42.50 per share,  net to the seller
in cash.

In a Dutch auction,  the Company sets a price range,  and stockholders are given
an  opportunity to specify prices within that range at which they are willing to
sell  shares.  After the  expiration  of the  tender  offer,  the  Company  will
determine a single per share  price that will  enable it to purchase  the stated
amount of  shares,  or such  lesser  number  of  shares  as have  been  properly
tendered.  If the tender offer is oversubscribed,  shares validly tendered at or
below the purchase  price will be subject to proration.  The tender offer is not
conditioned on any minimum number of shares being tendered.

Participants in the tender offer, including stockholders who own fewer than  100
shares,  will avoid the transaction costs normally associated with market sales.
Neither the Company nor its Board of Directors is making any  recommendation  to
stockholders as to whether to tender or refrain from tendering their shares. The
Offer to Purchase,  Letter of Transmittal,  and related documents will be mailed
to  stockholders  of record of its Common Stock and will also be made  available
for distribution to beneficial owners of Common Stock.

On November 13, 1996, the day prior to the  announcement and commencement of the
tender offer,  the closing price of the Common Stock was $42.25 per share on The
NASDAQ  National  Market.  As of November  13, 1996,  the Company had  7,958,059
shares of Common Stock outstanding.

First Union National Bank of North Carolina is serving as the Depositary for the
tender offer, and Georgeson & Company Inc. is serving as the Information Agent.

Coca-Cola  Bottling Co.  Consolidated,  headquartered  in Charlotte,  NC, is the
second largest  Coca-Cola  bottler in the United States with annual  revenues of
more than $760 million.  The Company operates in 12 southeastern  states and has
approximately 5,000 employees.

                                      -30-
(RECYCLED PAPER LOGO)








Signatures


Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized:


                                    COCA-COLA BOTTLING CO. CONSOLIDATED

                                                           (REGISTRANT)




Date: November 15, 1996             BY:  /s/  David V.  Singer
                                   ----------------------------------------
                                            David V. Singer
                               Principal  Financial  Officer of the Registrant
                                                    and
                                Vice President, Chief Financial Officer