After Lidl, Albert Heijn has also stopped selling cigarettes from January 1. From July 1, this will be legally required and all supermarket chains must restrict sales. Whether this will result in fewer smokers remains to be seen. In any case, the local tobacconist is doing good business.
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Many measures have already been taken to reduce tobacco use. For example, cigarettes have become more expensive, there are unappetizing pictures on the packs and their sale had to become invisible. According to Trimbos, this has ensured that the percentage of adult smokers fell from 25.7 percent to 18.9 percent in 2014.
Threshold
According to Kaj Hollemans, expert in the field of tobacco legislation and regulations, this rule will not ensure that a huge percentage of people quit smoking. He indicates that the government wants tobacco to no longer be part of ‘normal groceries’. People will no longer be able to pick up a pack of butts during their shopping trip. People now have to go to a special tobacco shop for this, which creates an additional barrier.
KWF Cancer Control has campaigned for this measure for years. Gemma van den Boog is happy that it has now been achieved. “Fewer points of sale means that it becomes less normal. In addition, it appears that people smoke less when people are less confronted with it.”
Market shift
The supermarkets account for 55 percent of the total turnover. There will now be a gap there, which will be partly filled by local tobacco shops, among others. Hollemans would not be surprised if more local tobacconists will be added: “We are actually going back to 100 years ago. That was the case then.”
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This is already evident: Henry Dupon, owner of Henry’s Tabak Shop in Zaandam for decades, has noticed that his business is getting busier for some time now. The nearby Albert Heijn stopped selling a few months ago.
“We have already had more customers, including customers from the 80s and 90s who are all coming back now,” he says. “At one point they went to the supermarket for convenience.” With a smile: “But now they need us again, that’s nice. The future looks bright for us.”
Prices up
Not only is sales being restricted, cigarette prices have also risen further. According to the government, an average parcel now costs about 11.10 euros. Hollemans: “That is a measure that works, especially for young smokers. They simply cannot afford it anymore. The downside is that it becomes a luxury product and only rich people can afford it. The question is whether you should want that. .”
Dupon: “The price is becoming an issue. The people who can afford it simply do so, but people who are already having a hard time will get into trouble with this.”
Not all Albert Heijn stores have stopped selling cigarettes. Self-employed entrepreneurs are free to stop or not. These stores must also stop selling on July 1, 2024.