FOR YEARS, corner shops were the places to go for cigarettes and other tobacco products. But according to new research, more than a third of store owners would go smoke-free if they could.
Instead, they would replace them with alternatives such as e-cigarettes and heat-not-burn ranges.
And just under half of the owners think retailers have a part to play in helping smokers make the switch.
Across England, eight in 10 former smokers would have welcomed more advice from convenience stores on smoke-free products, with two-thirds agreeing stores could do more to help smokers abandon cigarettes
The analysis is by KAM and Lake Research, commissioned by Philip Morris Limited (PML), which makes both cigarettes and alternative products.
The research of convenience store owners in Reading specifically, also revealed that 41% of retailers in Reading think it ‘Likely’ that their community will be smoke-free by the year 2030.
It involved more than 1,400 convenience store owners and more than 1,000 former adult smokers.
And across England, it shows there is a growing movement of retailers who want to help customers abandon cigarettes by shifting their businesses towards smoke-free products, and sheds new light on the important – and largely unseen role – convenience retailers are playing to help communities go smoke-free.
The findings also revealed several challenges, such as insufficient knowledge in the smoke-free category and concerns for building a sustainable business without cigarettes, which prevented retailers from helping smokers switch.
“I’ve converted three generations of one family to smoke-free alternatives.” said Aman Uppal, who runs One Stop Mount Nod, a family-run convenience store in Coventry.
“As a retailer, I have an opportunity to introduce these products into my community and get people away from cigarettes which is something I believe in. I am seeing other retailers doing the same thing, which is hugely positive.”
Nearly two-thirds (64%) of former smokers now using smoke-free alternatives and feel that a convenience store is an appropriate place to receive advice about smoke-free products
Christian Woolfenden, Managing Director at PML, said: “The Big Switch Report reveals how switching adult smokers from cigarettes to smoke-free products has become a new pillar of community-focused retailing.
“Rather than retaining customers as cigarette smokers, convenience retailers are building stronger connections over the countertop to improve awareness of, and access to, alternative products like e-cigarettes and heat-not-burn products.
“As the only tobacco company purposefully working to phase out cigarettes completely, we will continue to support retailers, so they’re able to communicate the benefits of smoke-free alternatives to their adult customers who are unable to quit tobacco and nicotine products completely.”
And James Lowman, Chief Executive at the Association of Convenience Retailers (ACS), the voice of over 33,500 local shops nationwide, said: “Convenience store retailers are embedded in their communities, with a reach unlike any other sector in the UK grocery market.
“This community grounding of convenience stores enables the people running and working in stores to be acutely in tune with the needs of their customers, but retailers also need to look at data from wider research to keep abreast of trends.
“The e-cigarette and smoke-free category is changing fast, so it’s important to understand consumer attitudes and benchmark with your own experiences and sales information.”
