Tobacco ban 'won't hit business'

Plans to ban tobacco displays in shops in England and Wales can be implemented without harming small businesses, the new health secretary has said.

Andy Burnham promised MPs he would "find that balance" between cutting smoking among youngsters and minimising the impact on shopkeepers.

But Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said the results of similar schemes in Canada were mixed. Tory MP Philip Davies said the plans were a "triumph of the nanny state".

The health secretary was speaking during a second reading debate on the Health Bill which proposes a ban on displays of tobacco products in shops. It also proposes age-restriction mechanisms to stop under-18s buying cigarettes from vending machines.

Mr Burnham said ban on displays would not come into force until October 2011 for larger businesses and 2013 for smaller outlets. "This will allow smaller retailers time to adjust, refitting their shops when older displays are due to be replaced anyway," he added. "It would never be my intention to make it harder for small retailers to survive, nevertheless we do have to act on the fact that many young people are taking up smoking."

However, he was attacked by MPs from across the House who said businesses would suffer.

Conservative Mark Pritchard said an "unintended consequence" of the Bill was "that we may well see local convenience stores and small shops close". He added: "Yes, we need health promotion but we also need to bear in mind that most small shop owners are responsible and undertake their duties in a lawful way.

His colleague Mr Davies said the measure was "gesture politics of the worst kind" and urged the health secretary to think again. 

Labour's David Clelland said there was "no evidence" that countries which had introduced a display ban had witnessed a drop in smoking among young people.

However, former Tory cabinet minister Sir George Young backed the measure, urging Mr Burnham not to "water down" the proposal, and Labour's David Taylor said the "hidden hand" of the tobacco industry was behind attempts to block it.

For the Liberal Democrats, Sandra Gidley said the evidence in support of the ban was "very, very weak", adding: "Tobacco is currently a legal product which can be bought by consenting adults and yet we plan to restrict its display even more than we do pornography."

Mr Lansley called for a free vote on the issue, and repeated calls for the government to make it illegal for adults to buy tobacco for under-18s - as is the case with alcohol.

Source: BBC online, 8th June 2009
Link: http://tinyurl.com/nr4qe4 

Deadline approaches to challenge proposed tobacco ban

European Travel Retail Council (ETRC) argues that World Health Organization protocol wording associating duty-free tobacco supply chain with smuggling is unfounded.

ETRC has urged companies from across the travel-retail industry to lobby their governments if they have not already done so to prevent the abolition of tobacco duty-free sales.

ETRC secretary general Keith Spinks has warned that there are just weeks left for the global tobacco duty-free channel to lobby for a change to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) protocol on illicit trade that threatens a ban on the sale and import of duty-free tobacco products. The wording of the misleading protocol associating duty-free tobacco with smuggling is up for negotiation on June 28.

“If they have not already done so companies urgently need to convey to the authorities that this issue is on the table for negotiation on June 28 and persuade them of the importance of ensuring that they oppose anything that calls for the abolition of duty-free sales of tobacco products to international travellers,” he said.

He added: “We have had much engagement with key stakeholders including Airports Council International (ACI), ACI Europe and the International Air Transport Association, which have all confirmed their full support for what we are trying to do. They will be using their own political and industry contacts to argue that there should be no challenge to the duty-free tobacco category in the FCTC protocol on illicit trade.”

Source: Duty Free News Online, 8th June 2009
Link: http://tinyurl.com/lgg2gre

Lansley outlines proposals to cut youth smoking

Andrew Lansley put forward proposals to reduce the level of youth smoking during a House of Commons debate on the new Health Bill.

He outlined measures to remove vending machines from the public areas of licensed premises and outlaw proxy purchases of cigarettes by adults for young people.

Both of these proposals will be put forward as amendments to the Bill.

Andrew, the Shadow Health Secretary, stressed, “Smoking is one of the largest avoidable causes of premature mortality. Our public health strategy must do all that we can, which the evidence supports, to reduce smoking rates, especially amongst young people.”

And he said, “I am determined that we should continue to bear down on the prevalence of smoking amongst young people, which remains much too high.”

Source: WebCameron, 8th June 2009
Link: http://tinyurl.com/mba5ft

Walmart Debates Continued Sale of Tobacco Products

US: In an annual shareholders meeting featuring Walmart’s usual blend of celebrity spokespersons and revivalist atmosphere, the world’s largest retailer reveled in its strong performance during the recession and promised further improvements in store merchandise and store aesthetics. The meeting was broadcast on the company’s Web site at www.walmart.com.

Of most interest to convenience store operators were two comments by Eduardo Castro-Wright, vice chairman, concerning the retailer’s sale of tobacco products and its Marketside convenience/grocery hybrid concept, currently being tested in the southwestern U.S.

In the usual media question period following the annual meeting, Castro-Wright said the company has considered—and would continue to consider—eliminating tobacco products from its stores. The retailer, which in recent years has become more sensitive about its public image, acknowledges selling tobacco conflicts with Walmart’s increased emphasis on health. However, Castro-Wright also emphasized that at Walmart, "first and foremost, we service customers," which means selling them what they want to buy. "It is an issue we debate constantly," he said.

If Walmart, like many other grocery retailers, were to abandon tobacco sales, convenience stores would stand to pick up a significant amount of that volume—a welcome boost to a category that is critically important, but declining, at c-stores.

Castro-Wright also said the company has no plans to expand its Marketside concept at this point. After testing the concept in the Phoenix market, the Walmart executive admitted consumer demand for the convenience/grocery hybrid is not as great as expected and that the company would not be "accelerating the effort until we are in a better position to make a decision."

Source: Convenience Store News, 9th June 2009
Link: http://tinyurl.com/kvra82