Most retailers oppose display ban, survey shows

Most retailers oppose display ban, survey shows

Over 60 percent of Kiwi retailers don’t agree with a proposal to ban displays of tobacco products from their shops and almost 90 percent know that any such ban won’t reduce smoking, a new survey shows.

The survey was conducted for the New Zealand Association of Convenience Stores (NZACS) in June 2010 and released today confirms that 61 percent of retailers did not agree with the Ministry of Health’s latest proposal to ban tobacco displays and 89 percent of retailers know that a ban will not stop people from smoking

Timaru tobacconist Murray Gibson, a spokesperson for the Association of Community Retailers, says the results from the survey are in line with what retailers are telling the ACR.

“Retailers are at the flax-roots of consumer demand, and they know that removing displays won’t make one iota of difference to smoking habits in New Zealand,” Mr Gibson said. “We all agree that retailers play a role in curbing youth smoking, but research from Canada shows banning displays has actually led to a rise in the number of youth smokers.

“Education and compliance with current legislation is the answer to curbing youth smoking.”

Mr Gibson added that Denmark and Sweden recently rejected bans on tobacco displays because there was no evidence they cause people to smoke and instead chose to be more active in educating retailers in their legal responsibilities. The survey conducted by NZACS shows that only 22 percent of New Zealand retailers have been visited by the Ministry of Health to be told of their responsibilities under the Smokefree Environments Act.

Furthermore, given the rising number of violent robberies of dairies and convenience stores, it comes as no surprise more than half of retailers believe there will be increased thefts from their shops when having to search for tobacco items under the counter.

“It is clear that most retailers are against the display ban proposal. We have said this all along. The Government must start listening, consider the views of retailers and focus on providing stronger enforcement and supervision around tobacco sales rather than damaging the current retailing environment,” Mr Gibson said.

ENDS

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