FACTORS IMPEDING THE ROLE OF DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS IN SUPPLY CHAIN OF BEVERAGE PRODUCTS IN DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA: A CASE OF BAKHRESA FOOD PRODUCTS LIMITED

Abstract

Despite the critical role played by distribution channels in supply chain, along with strategies made by government, the beverage products in Dar es Salaam-Tanzania are still discounted following the distribution channels inability to undertake supply chain roles. This paper examined the factors impeding distribution channels in Supply Chain of beverage products and recommended strategies for improving the same. Qualitative approach was adopted and data were drawn from a purposive sample of 50 respondents through interviews and focus group discussions. Accordingly, distribution channels in Supply Chain was impeded by poor transportation, inadequate storage facilities, inability to improve quality and poor marketing services. The study recommends some ways to minimise the impediments. These include ensuring suitable road infrastructures; providing soft loans and grants to the distribution channels in order to buy modern storage facilities; adequate and reliable storage facilities and ensuring adequate electric power supply. The inability to value addition should be alleviated through empowering financially to obtain enough capital of buying effective handling and storage facilities. Authorities responsible for quality assurance should play their active role in ensuring quality assurance and standards of beverage products; to improve marketing services, devising the innovative ways of reaching the customers by adopting adequate promotion techniques. Therefore, factors impeding the role of distribution channels in Supply Chain of beverages can be alleviated through improvement of storage, distribution and transportation, value addition and quality as well as improving marketing services.