Whenever the World Cup arrives, the visual returns almost on cue: Brazil fans in yellow and green, hope and heartbreak flickering across their faces, and a bottle of 7UP waiting at the edge of the frame like a punchline.
Since Brazil’s historic 7–1 defeat to Germany in 2014, the name of the soft drink has almost turned into a form of football humour. As a result, every World Cup brings a fresh wave of memes, trolls and cartoons linking 7UP with Brazil’s football heartbreak.
Looking at all this, anyone could assume that 7UP’s sales rise sharply whenever the World Cup comes around. But interviews with wholesalers, dealers and distributors in Dhaka suggest that the social-media visibility has not translated into stronger sales.
Traders say 7UP has been losing ground in the capital’s soft-drink market over the past few years, squeezed by lower dealer margins, stronger rivals, changed consumer behaviour and what they describe as slow company response.
Storm on Facebook, silence in the cashbook
At Moulvibazar in the capital, the current president of the Dealer Association Reza Selim Raja told TIMES of Bangladesh that “During the World Cup, discussion around 7UP increases, memes are made, posts are shared. But that discussion does not have any major effect on sales.”
In his words, “People take photos, post them, but the sales figures tell a different story.”
He also cited his own sales figures. At his establishment, where 12 to 15 cases of 7UP, each containing 24 bottles, were once sold regularly, sales now struggle to reach even 10 cases, while Coca-Cola sells around 20 cases a day.
In other words, 7UP may be highly visible on social media, but its presence in the market is not equally strong. The Facebook newsfeed and the sales books of the wholesale market appear to be telling two different stories.
Is the ‘7UP era’ coming to an end?
Traders say 7UP was once almost synonymous with the lemon-lime flavoured soft drink market. Shopkeepers stocked it in advance, and customers asked for it by name. But over time, that position is no longer what it used to be.
Proprietor of Bhai Bhai Enterprise of Ray Shaheb Bazar Md Saiful Islam said, “Earlier, demand for 7UP was higher. Now alternatives have increased in the market. Many customers are leaning towards local brands.”
Another wholesaler, Abdul Halim, said, “Ten to twelve years ago, shopkeepers used to book 7UP in advance. That situation no longer exists. The market has been divided because of different brands, including Sprite, Mojo and Clemon.”
The observation of Md Shahin Mia, a wholesaler in the Karwan Bazar area, is also similar.
He said, “7UP is still a familiar brand, but it no longer has the kind of single dominance it once had. The new generation often chooses products based on price and offers rather than brand.”
In other words, competition has not only increased; consumer behaviour has also changed. In many cases, price, offers and immediate benefits have now become more important than a familiar name.
Is commission at the centre of the crisis?
According to traders at the field level, 7UP has not been able to deliver any major surprise in the past few years in the way some other brands have done. But their biggest complaint lies elsewhere.
In the view of traders, the structure of dealer commission sits at the centre of 7UP’s current crisis.
Distributor of Messrs Ahmadi Corporation Reza Selim said 7UP has not made any major change to its commission system even after nearly three decades since 1992.
His question is, “When transport costs have increased in three decades, labour costs have increased, warehouse operating costs have increased, why has commission remained almost in the same place?”
Traders claim that the profit margin on 7UP’s larger bottles still hovers at around 3.75 per cent.
On the other hand, Coca-Cola generally offers a margin of up to around 10 per cent. In the case of large orders, additional benefits are also available through what is known as “slab commission”.
As a result, when a trader can make significantly higher profit from the same investment, he naturally gives more importance to the brand that ensures higher returns for him.
Why ‘two bottles free’ is not enough
7UP has, at different times, carried out promotional campaigns offering two free pieces with one carton. On paper, traders do receive some benefit from this.
But a large section of distributors says this is not a long-term solution.
Dealers said Free products provide temporary benefit. But a trader ultimately looks at cash margin.
That is because business runs on cash flow. Extra products do not always turn into extra profit. Additional bottles lying in the warehouse can increase a trader’s cost, but they do not guarantee cash income.
‘They listen to problems, but do not give solutions’
Alongside commission, another major complaint from traders concerns company management.
They claim communication with dealers has weakened over the past few years. Even when complaints are raised, quick solutions are not available.
One distributor said, “When we go with a problem, we are made to sit for hours. But no decision comes.”
In his view, a large part of the market erosion that began after 2023 is the result of management weakness.
In other words, competition in the market is one reason, but in the eyes of traders, the company’s internal decision-making process has also deepened the crisis.
Why are dealers declining
According to traders’ estimates, of around 22 dealer points that were once active in Dhaka, around 10 are now effectively inactive.
They cited low commission, uncertainty over return on investment, increased competition in the market and the company’s slow decision-making process as the reasons.
A few distributors claimed that while it once required an investment of around Tk50 lakh to take a dealership, it has now become difficult to find interested people even with an investment of Tk20 lakh.
So, 7UP may still trend on Facebook timelines. Whenever the World Cup arrives, new trolls, fresh jokes and viral posts may return again.
But the story being written in market warehouses, dealer points and sales books is much harder, and much more real.
