By Express News Service

CHENNAI: There is still some fizz left in the cola, as the trade bodies call to boycott Pepsi and Coke from Wednesday evoked a mixed response in the city.

While some local shops have taken the two brands off the shelves, retail outlets and restaurants continue to serve the cool drinks to customers.

During the pro-jallikattu agitations in January, two of the largest trade bodies in the State, Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangangalin Peramaipu and Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangam, floated the idea of banning cola products from March 1. Among the reasons given was that multinational companies that made these drinks were exploiting ground water. Besides, health concerns were also cited.

Express visited several small eateries, tea shops as well as street vendors to ascertain the response to the boycott call. Significantly, several shops were found selling the drinks as they wanted to dispose the old stocks, which they cannot return. It was also revealed that they did not receive specific instructions about the trade bodies’ decision. In the absence of any clarity, they have placed on hold fresh orders for these drinks. Instead, they are keen to dispose the old stocks, some of which date back to October last and try to recover the money invested.

Vendors at the Marina Beach are no different. A line of pushcart vendors along the beach bordering the service lane displayed popular drinks including Pepsi, 7up and Mirinda.

When contacted, Ajith Kumar, a vendor, said, “Although sales have dipped significantly and revenue slashed by almost half, I have many bottles remaining unsold.” Since his order for a carton (containing 24 bottles) late last year, he hasn’t placed any new orders for Pepsi and Coke.

There were quite a few who were not selling the drinks. At Sri Kalikambal Juice World, near Spencer Plaza, those working there said they have stopped selling cola. “Right after the Jallikattu protests, our owner had instructed that the two products should be banned. We don’t even stock them,” a staffer said.

Interestingly, a few proprietors told Express that the reason behind stopping the sale of cola drinks was based on business rationale, rather than one taken due to any instructions.

Abdul Ghafoor of Classic Bakery in Triplicane said, “Gone are the days when more than 10 bottles used to be sold daily. For the past few months, we noticed that customers were not keen on these drinks anymore. As a result, it did not make sense to order new stock.”

On the other hand, retail supermarkets continued to sell the drinks. A manager at Spencers Super Market at Vepery said, “We are stocking and selling the products. But there is a clear trend of customers moving away from these cool drinks.”