How to Become a Distributor for Schweppes in Nigeria: A Step-by-Step Guide

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Schweppes is a global beverage company that offers over 180 different brands of carbonated drinks. The company has been in Nigeria for many years, and it currently employs over 30 Nigerians. There are three ways to become a distributor for Schweppes in Nigeria: you can invest your own money into the business, purchase an existing franchise from someone else, or receive approval from Schweppes headquarters to start up a new dealership. In this blog post we’ll take a closer look at these three options and how they work!

The last sentence will link back to the intro paragraph when the reader reaches the end of this paragraph. The goal here is to encourage readers to keep reading so they can learn more about becoming a distributor for Schweppes

How to Become a Distributor for Schweppes in Nigeria
At the moment Schweppes has 4 sales points in Nigeria: two in Lagos and two in Port Harcourt. For now, Schweppes Nigeria Limited (SNGL) uses two different franchises to operate: Microbreweries Ltd and Schweppes Nigeria Limited (SNGL). All of these two franchises have been given the rights to sell Schweppes products through a service agreement. At this moment, SNGL only has one dealership in Nigeria (Microbreweries Ltd.) and it deals with Schweppes Shokatsu, Schweppes Pure, Schweppes Premium and Schweppes Light. As it is usually the case, when a franchisee has problems selling products, he can go directly to his distributor. We’ll refer to this as a franchise transfer when we go through the steps on how to become a distributor.

What you need to know about becoming a distributor
The first thing you need to know about becoming a Schweppes distributor is that you have to have a good credit score, make a good income, and have the ability to physically visit Schweppes’ offices.

Having a credit score is extremely important. Even if you think you won’t need the loan from Schweppes in order to become a distributor, Schweppes will only lend to people with a good credit score. Some loan companies will even require a clean credit record, which means you should probably get a credit check done before applying. And you may want to consider using a good credit checker like Credit Karma or Credit Sesame.

Cash is also an issue when it comes to buying a franchise.

Investing your own money into the business
If you’re a business owner or an established entrepreneur with a good idea and a business plan, you can start your own Schweppes business. This option has a huge drawback: Schweppes needs to approve of your business plan and of your investment. This means that you’ll be responsible for increasing the customer base for Schweppes, and this approval process can take some time.

There are some good alternatives to this approach, however, as we’ll explain. First of all, if you don’t have capital, you can launch a subsidiary company. This subsidiary company will function as your own Schweppes business, but will be under Schweppes control. You don’t need to make an investment in this subsidiary. However, you have to find a good candidate to run this subsidiary.

Purchasing an existing franchise from someone else
If you don’t have the money to invest into the business, one of the most affordable ways to become a Schweppes distributor is to purchase an existing franchise. This is a pretty straightforward business model in Nigeria, and it’s very common.

Franchisees purchase a portion of the company and agree to pay monthly amounts into a central fund. After five years, they have the option to purchase the company for around N150,000,000 (about $350,000).

There are various franchise brands available for purchase: BIC, Lucozade, Sprite, Tropicana, and Schweppes. These brands are generally popular with Nigerians, and they’re generally cheaper than purchasing Schweppes.

Requesting approval from Schweppes Headquarters to start up a new dealership
All that is needed to start a new franchise in Nigeria is to contact the Schweppes head office. Once you’ve established that the office is open for business, they will send you an email outlining the criteria you need to meet in order to request approval for your franchise. It is important that you thoroughly read the details in the email you receive from the office as they are listed in detail. It will also mention that they will pay a visit to see you.

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If you meet all of the requirements listed in the email, they will ask you for a detailed business plan with proposed cost estimates and marketing strategies. Once they have been updated with your information, the office will grant approval for your franchise.

Conclusion
How do you become a distributor for Schweppes in Nigeria?

Buying a franchise

The easiest way to become a distributor for Schweppes in Nigeria is to purchase an existing franchise from someone else. Schweppes does not own franchises, they simply purchase them from the business owner. This is the approach most people go for because it is the cheapest, however it also puts them at risk. Another problem is that there are very few business owners who are passionate about Schweppes, and selling franchises at inflated prices can be a real turn off for any potential Schweppes distributor.

Qualifying as a franchisee

Once you decide to purchase a franchise, you will need to contact Schweppes to find out the details of your application.