Cycle Brand Dominates Malda: Uttam Basak
U Traders, based in Malda, is a super stockist firm dealing inCycle Pure Agarbatti along with other FMCG brands. The firm’shead, Uttam Basak, told Sugandh India that apart from Malda,they also cover North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur, and in allthree districts, the Cycle brand holds the number one position.Uttam Basak is also the General Secretary of the MaldaChamber of Commerce.
He shared that in theagarbatti and dhoopcategory, apart fromvarious Cycleproducts, Sambranicups and pujamaterials are highlypreferred. Responding to a question,he said that while other brands are alsopresent in the market, they face no realcompetition. The company maintains afamily-like relationship with superstockists and distributors—from theowner to the employees—which hasstrengthened Cycle’s dominance in themarket.
He further mentioned that he is alsoa super stockist for around 10 brands,including Himalaya, Bajaj, L’Oréal,Garnier, Emami, and Shalimar. In aconversation with Sugandh India, hesaid that U Traders has been in FMCGtrading for 34 years. His father anduncle previously ran a business underthe name Kamla Agency. Although heworked with them, he wanted to buildsomething of his own.
During this time, he met GautamBhumi, a senior employee of CyclePure Agarbatti, who offered him thesuper stockist role for three districts.Through hard work and strong supportfrom the company, the business grewrapidly. He built a distribution networkacross regions like Dalkhola, Farakka,and Balurghat, further strengtheningCycle’s market presence.
He added that the company’sworking style is excellent—it neverpressures partners to increase sales,and there is no need, as demand oftenexceeds supply. The company operatesin a corporate manner, resolving claimsand issues promptly. With goodleadership, the company maintainsstrong teams and distributorrelationships. Currently, he manages74 distributors for the Cycle brand.
He noted that while the agarbattibusiness was once very strong, salesare now slightly declining. Consumersare shifting towards products likedhoop, dry sticks, cups, dhoona, andcamphor. One reason is safety—peopleused to light agarbattis and leave themunattended, which sometimes led toaccidents. Now, they prefer smaller,quick-burning products. As a result,agarbatti still holds 85–90% of themarket, while dhoop accounts for 10–15%.
In Malda and Dinajpur districts, themost in-demand Cycle productsinclude 3-in-1, Rhythm, Lia, SambraniCup, Naivedya, and camphor. Hementioned that demand for Naivedyais so high that supply often falls short,especially during festive seasons.Similarly, Cycle camphor is alsohighly popular.
Regarding company schemes, hesaid that attractive gifts are periodicallygiven to dealers. Speaking about theMalda market, he pointed out thatunlike Kolkata, undercutting is notcommon here, and business operationsremain smooth across the threedistricts.
As General Secretary of the MaldaChamber of Commerce, he alsohandles broader responsibilities. Thechamber is the largest traders’organization in the region, with apresence in every block and around185 units. It actively works for traders’welfare, addressing issues like law andorder, GST, regional developmentprojects, and other concerns. Thechamber has approximately 110,000trader members.
