70% TN retailers stop selling Coke, Pepsi drinks

As the boycott against Pepsi and Coke completed seven days, a traders’ association claimed 70% of retailers in the state had stopped selling brands of the two cola majors.

A M Vikramaraja, leader of the Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangankalin Peramaippu (TNVSP), said: "Almost 70% of the retailers are not selling these brands. The other retailers have annual contracts with Pepsi and Coke and we are consulting legal experts on how to get them to stop selling these brands."

An email to PepsiCo, Coca-cola and the Indian Beverage Association (IBA), which has been responding on behalf of the beverages manufacturers, did not elicit a response till the time of going to press. The IBA earlier said that was is disappointed by the call to boycott Coke and Pepsi products.

The TNVSP is planning to ask the state government to stop distribution of these beverages in Tamil Nadu over health issues and exploitation of groundwater. 

Retailers said they were clearing stocks and might not ask for replacement from Pepsi and Coke. A few retailers, who initially mistook the boycott as a ban by the municipal authorities, said they might place orders.

Retailers in Tamil Nadu earned over Rs 400 crore by selling products manufactured by the two companies, the IBA pointed out. It hoped consumers in the state would continue to have the right to exercise their choice.