REMOVAL OF TOBACCO PRICE BOARDS: A STEP TOO FAR

MEDIA RELEASE
27th February 2014
Calls by a number of health lobby groups for retailers to remove tobacco price boards is a step too far, says AACS Chief Executive Jeff Rogut. The measure has no evidential basis, can’t possibly give any positive health impacts and simply makes the job of retailers even more time consuming and difficult.
Following the introduction of plain packing in Australia more than a year ago, a legislation that has had no significant effect on tobacco sales, the call to remove tobacco price boards is yet another measure that will place a further burden on retailers.
“Tobacco products are already in plain packaging and out of sight, measures implemented at the sole cost of retailers,” said Mr Rogut.
“Retailers have had to bare the brunt of this new law, facing a variety of additional costs including costs associated with staff training, labour, product handling errors, increased inventory management procedures and customer frustration.
“How does making customers less aware of what they are purchasing help in any way? Plain packaging has already resulted in significant customer frustration and this simply exacerbates the problem for no health gains.
“The removal of tobacco price boards will also be a timely cost to retailers who will have to verbally answer any questions that customers may have relating to brands and price. Tobacco price boards are the only way that customers know what they are paying for.
“It’s about time retailers were granted what seems an obvious consideration – to be able to freely run their businesses and serve their customers in a responsible manner.”
Mr Rogut said removing price boards is not the correct answer to addressing the underlying problem, being lack of education.
“The most important and effective way to reduce the incidence of smoking is for the powerful healthy lobby to focus on education and stop redirecting the cost burden of futile, ill-considered policy on small businesses,” said Mr Rogut.
Further information:
Jeff Rogut
Chief Executive Officer
Australasian Association of Convenience Stores
Ph: +61 467 873 789
Media enquiries:
Stephen Naylor
Wise McBaron Communication
Ph: +61 (2) 9279 4770