Japan Tobacco International (JTI) has said that it will give UK retailers the option of returning stock that no longer complies with Track & Trace regulations or the menthol ban, reports Convenience Store.

With the menthol ban and new Track & Trace regulations now in place, retailers are no longer allowed to sell any menthol and capsule cigarettes or tobacco products that do not feature the new Track & Trace codes. According to Convenience Store, JTI advises all retailers to collect all non-compliant JTI stock which they will be able to return when a company sales rep next comes to visit.
“After listening to feedback from trade customers and retailers across all channels, JTI can now confirm that we will take back all non-compliant Track & Trace and menthol and capsule stock held by every retailer who our sales reps visit. We will aim to uplift this stock within 12 weeks from the time our sales reps return to the trade,” said Ross Hennessy, sales vice president UK at JTI.
Due to the current COVID-19 situation it may take longer for visits from sales reps to be possible but JTI says it aims to uplift all stock within 12 weeks from the time retail is allowed to resume after the lockdown, reports Convenience Store.