ACS has raised concerns about the levels of branded tobacco products that remain in circulation ahead of the introduction of the standardised packaging regulations on 20th May.
Data from the Retail Data Partnership collected from around 2,500 convenience stores during the final week of March showed that:
- Of the 900,000+ Factory Made Cigarette packs, 45.04% were sold in non-compliant, branded packs.
- Of the 150,000+ Roll Your Own Tobacco pouches, 33.17% were sold in non-compliant, branded packs.
- Only 0.57% of retailers exclusively sold compliant, non-branded packs.
Figures from ACS’ quarterly survey of over 1200 retailers also show that one in ten retailers are concerned about not being able to sell their branded stock ahead of the introduction of standardised packaging regulations on 20th May.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “Retailers risk being left with significant quantities of branded products that cannot be sold legally after 20th May. If retailers have stock left, they need to make sure they rotate it so that branded stock is sold first.”
From 20th May, retailers will only be able to sell tobacco in standardised packaging, in a minimum pack size of 20 for cigarettes and 30g packs for roll your own tobacco.
