Press Releases

The Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) has welcomed a move by the Queensland Government to introduce a ban the sale of knives to juveniles. AACS CEO Theo Foukkare said the new laws would help to protect retail workers and the widercommunity. “The safety and welfare of our members and the public is our highest priority,” Mr Foukkare said. “The Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS), which represents more than 1500 petrol andconvenience stores in Queensland congratulates the government on this new legislation. “Our retail members have welcomed these changes as they will go a long way to reducing access to the use of knives in crime related incidents being experienced across all retail settings. “This new legislation will ultimately help protect communities and all frontline retail staff. The Queensland Government’s proposed new laws include a maximum penalty of 140 penalty units, or $21,672, if a person sells a knife…

Small business petrol station owners have renewed a call for the Federal Government tohelp fund critical power grid upgrades that would allow them to install fast charginginfrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs). Australian Association of Convenience Stores (ACCS) CEO Theo Foukkare said businessowners wanted to offer the renewable energy option, however most were not able to fundthe half a million-dollar upgrade and installation cost. “We’ve got thousands of AACS members across the nation that want to go green – butthey’re not able to find the half a million dollars to do it on their own,” he said. The Federal Government’s released its Electric Vehicle Strategy in April, which it said aimedto boost supply and demand of EVs, which Mr Foukkare welcomed. “AACS is supportive of any plan to help Australians reduce emissions,” he said. “However, we really think a government funded program that helps small business ownersto pay for these critical…

In response to calls for action from Australia’s lawful retail industry, the Australian Association of Convenience Stores welcomes the seizure of 376,000 illegal vapes today and continues to call on Health Minister Mark Butler to permanently fix the black market that is importing over 100 million illegal vapes into Australia each year. AACS CEO Theo Foukkare said while today’s announcement is a step in the right direction, in practical terms, it represents lessthan two days’ supply of the 100 million illegal vapes flooding into Australia each year. “Mark Butler announced he’d crackdown on the vaping black market 12 months ago, so seizing just two days’ supply away fromthe illegal black market in that time virtually does nothing to address Australia’s illegal vaping crisis,” Mr Foukkare said. “Families dealing with the fallout of Australia’s black market youth vaping crisis will feel little relief from less than 0.4 per cent of the…

Despite Health Minister Mark Butler’s promise to crack down on illegal vapes, new Roy Morgan data released today reveals more than 1.6 million Australian adults are now vaping – marking a staggering 23 per cent increase in uptake since December last year. Even though it has been illegal to sell or import a nicotine vaping product without a prescription in Australia since 2021, the total percentage of the population vaping has nearly doubled from 4 per cent to 7.9 per cent today. Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) CEO Theo Foukkare said the Health Minister had lost all credibility on Australia’s failed vaping policy. “According to Roy Morgan, 92 per cent of all vapers are buying products illegally, and the number of adult vapers in Australia is now over 1.6 million after growing by 23 per cent since last year,” he said. “After declaring in November last year that he…

With the Public Health Tobacco and Other Products Bill scheduled for debate this Tuesday, new RedBridge research has found the overwhelming majority of Australians want vaping products to be regulated in the same way as tobacco and alcohol. The poll, which focused on ‘attitudes toward the regulation of nicotine vapes in Australia’ found nearly 90 per cent of Australian voters agree or strongly agree that regulated nicotine vaping products should be available for sale to adults aged 18 and older through licensed retail outlets – the same way that alcohol and tobacco products are. The polling was commissioned by the Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) and found broad bipartisan support for strict regulation among supporters of the major political parties, AACS CEO Theo Foukkare said. “It found 88 per cent of Coalition voters, 90 per cent of Labor supporters and 93 per cent of Greens voters either agree, or…

Illicit tobacco dealers will continue to cash in on selling dodgy products to unsuspecting Aussies, despite the Federal Government’s planned changes to tobacco laws, the Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) has warned. AACS CEO Theo Foukkare said the organisation’s 6500 member stores supported measures to reducesmoking rates in Australia, however the changes announced by Health Minister Mark Butler today will only fuel the black market that has limited health outcomes by flooding Australia with cheap unregulatedproducts. “The illegal tobacco black market is booming because there’s next to no enforcement on the ground instopping what’s known as ‘chop-chop’ and cheap imported branded products from being sold in hugenumbers. “We support effective public health measures, but we do fear that moving to a standard sized cigarettepackage will encourage even more consumers to turn to the black market and give a free kick to the illegal operators to hide their products in…