Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn is running a trial at a store in Pijnacker in South Holland with no tobacco on sale, to monitor the effect on sales before new legislation comes into force, reports DutchNews.nl.
The supermarket sells cigarettes and tobacco at a ‘service’ desk but istesting removing this in advance of 2024 rules. A spokesperson said they plan to replace the desk with automated services where possible, to see what shoppers are willing to do themselves – and where they need staff. “The shop has recently been renovated, and cigarette sale was an important part of the service desk,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying. “We can see what effect it has on this part of the shop when no tobacco is on sale.”
Drugstore Kruidvat phased out tobacco sales in 2018, followed by Lidl Nederland, while 2020 legislation means that cigarettes can no longer be visible in supermarkets in order to discourage smoking. The government is aiming to have a ‘smoking free generation’ by 2040 by raising tobacco taxes, closing smoking areas and establishing 12,000 sale points in supermarkets by 2024 to ‘make it easier to stop smoking and harder to start’.