A Study of Retail Availability and Point-of-Sale Visibility of Classic Balanced Taste Longs and Gold Flake Blue Longs in Akola, Maharashtra

In India, cigarette marketing is tightly restricted by law, so retail execution at the counter carries unusual weight for manufacturers. This study examines two aspects of retail execution, product availability and point-of-sale (POS) visibility, for two cigarette variants of ITC Limited, Classic Balanced Taste Longs and Gold Flake Blue Longs, in Akola, Maharashtra. It uses a descriptive, observational field design. During an internship from 18 May to 18 July 2026, outlet visits were recorded as binary availability and display observations. After data cleaning, 123 valid outlet-visit observations were analysed from a convenience sample; the sample cannot be treated as representative of Akola. Classic Balanced Taste Longs was available in 87 of 123 observations (70.7%) and Gold Flake Blue Longs in 72 (58.5%). Among observations where each variant was available, it was displayed in 49 of 87 (56.3%) and 36 of 72 (50.0%) cases respectively. Neither variant was available in 30 observations (24.4%) and both in 66 (53.7%). Reported outlet-type differences should be read cautiously because outlet type was inferred from names. No causal or sales conclusions can be drawn. The study illustrates how a simple, repeatable outlet audit can reveal availability and display gaps, and it proposes compliance-aligned monitoring practices consistent with tobacco-control law. Keywords: retail execution; product availability; point-of-sale visibility; distribution management; FMCG retailing; outlet-level audit; tobacco regulation