General Trade (GT) remains the primary route to market for Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies in India, and within the beverage category, outlet-level execution — product availability, cooler and asset visibility, and retailer engagement — substantially shapes whether distribution reach converts into consumption occasions. This paper presents a field-based, descriptive-exploratory MBA research study conducted during an On-the-Job Training (OJT) engagement with Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd. (HCCB) in the Ujjain sales territory of Madhya Pradesh, from 18 May 2026 to 18 July 2026, in the role of Sales and Marketing Intern in the General Trade channel. The research problem is the extent to which Coca-Cola asset presence, cooler availability, and outlet-level execution are associated with retail market performance in General Trade, and what execution gaps most affect outlet productivity. Primary data was gathered through outlet visits, retailer interactions, and a structured field survey of 124 unique retail outlets across 22 market areas, supplemented by company records, official HCCB publications, and academic literature on trade marketing and distribution. The survey recorded Coca-Cola asset presence at 74.2 percent of surveyed outlets (approximately 92 of 124 outlets), 67 outlets (54.0 percent) with no major competing brand present, and 32 outlets (25.8 percent) without a Coca-Cola cooler. Approximately 27 percent of outlets were recorded under a distinct outlet-classification category during the survey; the precise classification basis could not be verified from the available project records and is treated here as an open methodological question rather than assumed. Pepsi was observed as the primary competing brand and Campa as an emerging competitor; delivery delays and stock shortages were the most frequently cited retailer concerns, and availability gaps were noted for selected stock-keeping units (SKUs), including Rim Zim Jeera. Because outlet coverage followed the assigned beat structure rather than random or statistically designed sampling, and no comparison data from other territories or time periods was available, the findings are treated as descriptive of the surveyed market rather than as a generalisable or causal account. The paper closes with field-grounded recommendations on outlet categorisation, cooler deployment, distribution responsiveness, and competitive execution, together with an explicit account of the study's methodological limitations.

Keywords: General Trade, FMCG, Retail Execution, Route-to-Market, Cooler Visibility, Asset Management, Beverage Distribution, Trade Marketing