Susan Gordon, Staff Reporter
COCA COLA, the popular carbonated drink, is currently off the supermarket shelves say wholesalers of the product.
One major development in the market is that after five years, Facey Commodity Limited is no longer distributing the product.
According to an agent at Facey Commodity, the organisation relinquished its distribution commitments on April 14. No reason was provided for the discontinuation.
DISTRIBUTION
Wednesday Business contacted CPRB Jamaica limited, the Coca Cola representative in Jamaica and was told that the company was currently working on its distribution model.
Owen Flowers, sales manager at CCPRB, said it was too early to divulge the new distribution and marketing plans. However, the office did confirm that one of its major distribution channels (Facey Commodity) had ended their relationship.
Normalcy is expected to return by next week Mr. Flowers assured.
COMPETITIVENESS
The absence of the beverage does little to help its prospects in the highly competitive soft drinks market, Wednesday Business was informed.
Unlike the global position, Pepsi dominates cola sales in the highly competitive domestic market and Coca Cola has has had to battle to retain its share.
In 2004, Facey Commodity, then the sole Coca Cola producer, closed its bottling plant and began distributing product which it started importing from Trinidad and Tobago. This longer supply chain appears to have been experiencing problems.
"We don't have any. We had it once and it wasn't selling so we had to put it on the shelves at the front of the supermarket," said sales manager of SuperPlus Wholesale in Mandeville Manchester Tyelie Ward. "I haven't seen any since mid last year."
One prominent supermarket owner in Kingston told Wednesday Business: "I have not have any (supplies) since December 2005,"
Requesting anonimity, he said "The distributors have not told us anything."
Over in Montego Bay, the scarcity of the product was also confirmed.
"Yes, this is the case," responded sales manager of Shoppers Fair Supermarket in Montego Bay. Richard Bucknor, when asked if the product was missing from the shelves. "What I'm aware of is that the local supplier has stopped carrying the product," he said.
SUPPLY CHAIN
One wholesaler speculated that the supply chain could be the cause of the difficulty.
He said Coca Cola is supposed to have a shelf life of 45 days, but is effectively reduced to 22 days on the local shelves because of the problems getting the product from the Trinidad bottling plant to the Jamaican shelves.
Taken from The Daily Gleaner, April 19, 2006
