A third of all convenience store owners in England would stop the sale of cigarettes in favour of smoke-free products to help adult smokers switch, new analysis by KAM and Lake Research has revealed.
The Big Switch Report, commissioned by Philip Morris, shows a growing movement of retailers motivated to help their customers quit smoking, by shifting their businesses towards smoke-free products.
Other key findings from the report include:
- 42% of store owners think it likely their community will be smoke-free by 2030.
- 42% of store owners say the main reason to stock smoke-free products is to switch adult smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke to a less harmful alternative.
- 59% of store owners consider the smoke-free category ‘the future of sales’.
- 64% of former smokers feel a convenience store is an appropriate place for smokers to be advised about smoke-free products.
The report also highlights several challenges preventing retailers from helping to switch smokers to alternative products. Many lack sufficient knowledge in the smoke-free category, which has impacted consumer confidence, and a percentage worry about building a sustainable business without combustible products. There are also regional variations on the willingness to go completely smoke-free, with Coventry (58%) and Northampton (16%) at either ends of the spectrum.
Aman Uppal, who runs One Stop Mount Nod in Coventry, said: “I’ve converted three generations of one family to smoke-free alternatives. 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.”
Christian Woolfenden, Managing Director at PML, said: “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.”
