Press Releases

The Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) has welcomed the Illicit Tobacco and E-Cigarette Commissioner’s 2024–25 report, that delivers a frank and comprehensive assessment of Australia’s illicit tobacco and nicotine crime crisis. AACS CEO Theo Foukkare said the findings expose an illicit market that has become so large and so violent that the Government can no longer ignore the consequences of its failed policy settings. “I thank the Commissioner for delivering an honest report. Nearly $12 billion in lost excise isn’t just a statistic – it is a national crisis. The Government must explain how it intends to enforce its way out of a $12 billion mess of its own making,” Mr Foukkare said. “5,397 tonnes of illicit tobacco entered the Australian market – the equivalent of filling more than 200 semi-trailers or stacking enough loose leaf to cover the MCG several metres deep. At the same time, government approved,…

The AACS has welcomed proposed sweeping law reforms that will see all children aged 14 and above tried in adult courts and sentenced as adults for violent crimes committed in Victoria. The Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) represents more than 78,000 convenience store front line staff and across 7,500 stores. AACS CEO Theo Foukkare commended the Allan Government for taking tough action on youth crime, which he said has ferociously escalated – especially in the retail sector – over recent years. “Our members are far too often the victims of violent crime at the hands of youth who have weapons like machetes and other edged weapons. “They come in swinging with weapons and they mentally and physically terrorise staff and other customers. They trash the shop and steal whatever they want. “Youth offending used to be petty but not potentially deadly. It was almost always limited to kids shoplifting…

The 2025 AACS International Study Tour took attendees across the USA – from New York to Des Moines and Chicago – for an unforgettable exploration of retail innovation, industry insights and global connection. The tour began in New York, where participants immersed themselves in the latest convenience and small-format retail experiences. Jason Zelinksi from NIQ updated the group on the US FMCG and Convenience latest trends, setting the context for the next week of retail visits. The group visited the latest formats at Wholefoods, including their new format Daily Shop offer, Wegmans, Trader Joes, a 7-Eleven Evolution format store, an AMPM Fuel format along with other innovative and boutique retail offerings. The group then headed to Des Moines in Iowa, in what is traditionally known as the flyover state given its location in the middle of the United States. In Des Moines, Tom Brennan, Chief Commercial Officer for Casey’s hosted…

Crime gangs behind Australia’s illicit tobacco crisis are today rubbing their hands together with glee, following the Albanese Government ‘s decision to slap yet another 6.7 percent tax hike on legal tobacco products that will divert even more Australians to buy dodgy smokes for as little as $7.50 a packet. The Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) CEO Theo Foukkare said the Federal Government’s claim that continued tax hikes on legal tobacco products forced Australians to quit smoking were “an outright lie when you look at the government’s own data”. “The sustained tax hikes are meant to incentivise Australians to quit smoking but it has failed, and we nowhave a situation where adults who choose to smoke are buying cheap, illegal products smuggled in fromoverseas and openly sold at dodgy shops everywhere and online,” Mr Foukkare said. “Criminologists and leading economists have continually warned the government that the continued taxhikes…

The Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) has welcomed a move the by Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers to boost funding aimed at targeting Australia’s multi-billion dollar illicit tobacco black market – however it warns there is still a long way to go when it comes to tackling the out-of-control problem gripping Australia. AACS Theo Foukkare said the $188.5 million program – announced today – is a crucial step toward fighting what he describes as “one of the biggest public health, community safety and economic threats to this nation” in recent decades. “After years of advocacy by AACS, we are finally seeing the Federal Government invest a solid amount of money to help protect all Australians from the sinister illicit tobacco black market, including our retailers – who have been desperately calling for proper action,” Mr Foukkare said. According to media reports, the Federal Government will target black market tobacco dealers…

Australia’s failed policy that bans the sale of strictly regulated and made to code nicotine vapes is putting the lives of tens of thousands of Aussies at risk, following the seizure of a vape liquid laced with a deadly synthetic drug that’s 28 times stronger than the opioid fentanyl, the nation’s peak body for convenience stores has warned. Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) CEO, Theo Foukkare, is calling on the Federal Government to urgently regulate the vape market after New South Wales (NSW) Police charged a Sydney man with supplying vape liquid laced with a lethal synthetic opioid. In an Australian first, police officers seized more than two kilograms of Nitazene – a dangerous substance up to 28 times stronger than fentanyl – alleged to have been supplied in vials of vape liquid. Mr Foukkare said the incident is a direct consequence of Australia’s failed prohibitionist approach to vaping,…