Press Release from New Zealand Association of Convenience Stores

Government Decision Places More Pressure on Retailers

For Immediate Release – Thursday 29 April 2010

Government decision places more pressure on Retailers

Comments by Government Minister Tariana Turia that she wants to further ramp up pressure against tobacco has severe unintended consequences say the New Zealand Association of Convenience Stores (NZACS).

“With the price of cigarettes and Roll Your Own tobacco increasing, retailers across the country unfortunately now face increased threats of robberies and assaults as the product becomes the most valuable item in-store,” said Roger Bull, Chairman of NZACS.

NZACS supports efforts to reduce the harm caused by tobacco products, but strongly believes Minister Turia’s comments that the next step is a ban on retail displays of the product will not result in a reduction in smoking” said Mr Bull .

“The reality is that tobacco is kept behind the front counter for a very good reason – because it’s one of the most expensive items that retailers must manage.

“NZACS believes policy should be evidence based but the Minister’s push for a retail display ban is not supported by the evidence. For example, Iceland’s display ban has had no statistically significant effect on smoking prevalence, and found no empirical support for the proposition that a display ban is likely to cause a reduction in smoking prevalence,” said Mr Bull.

“We appreciate that pricing is an effective measure in reducing smoking incidence, but the evidence provides no empirical support on the effectiveness of introduced display bans and the retail sector calls on the National Government to reinforce its decision not to introduce an ineffective and costly ban in New Zealand”.

“New Zealand retailers are facing some of the toughest business conditions ever experienced and the prospect of having to spend thousands of dollars to meet the Minister’s wishes is not only unfair but unjustified,” said Mr Bull.

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