Beer Sellers Protest New Costs on Brasseries Drinks
Beer sellers in Buea recently stormed the Brasseries du Cameroun agency in Ombe with complaints on increased costs and prices on the leading brewery’s drinks. The liquor sellers confronted the Ombe Brasseries authorities grouped under their distribution zones. The Great Soppo zone of the off-licence operators told The SUN that, formerly, after buying the drinks from the company, they paid FCFA 15 for each crate brought down from the truck, but that the charge has been increased by more than 300 percent, thus they now pay FCFA 50 per crate.
“It is too much. You don’t just get up one morning and increase cost by more than 300 percent. That is not done,” fumed a bar-tender.
They also complained that the new calendar for supplying particular drinks on particular days, instead of the hitherto formula where all beers and sweet drinks were supplied all together at once, has caused them to lose some of their customers. The vendors in the hinterland said they face the laborious task of transporting crates of empty bottles to roadsides where the Brasseries trucks now end and transport the drinks back, at very high cost, making it difficult for them to break even. Formerly it was a door-to-door truck delivery service.
The fourth point dealt with the new prices for Brasseries beers which have been increased by FCFA 50 per content. Responding to the fourth point, the Ombe authorities are said to have stated that the issue could not, however, be treated at their level because it is a decision from headquarters. For the other points, the Sales director reportedly thanked the beer sellers for coming and promised to look into the issues.The liquor sellers returned to their businesses hoping that the matter would be resolved, without which, they said, they would have to go down to Ombe this time for a showdown.When we attempted to get the Ombe Brasseries officials to comment, we were told by the one who took the call to get all information from the beer-sellers.
By Adams Bouddih
