One in 10 convenience retailers would consider closing down if the Tobacco and Vapes Bill became law, a new poll has found.
It comes as the bill entered the committee stage in the House of Lords today (27 October). It is designed to create a smoke-free generation by making it illegal to sell tobacco to those born on or after 1 January 2009.
The survey of 500 conveinence stores, commissioned by retailer platform C-Talk and carried out by Merlin Strategies, revealed that four in five (79%) retailers viewed the bill as an unprecedented threat to their business.
More than a third of retailers said they would need to lay off employees or reduce hours, while 26% warned they would have to raise prices across the board to compensate.
Seventy-six per cent of respondents also felt the proposed legislation would drive more consumers towards the black market, compared with just one in four who believe it will help smokers quit.
Convenience retailer Paul Cheema, the founder of C-Talk and leader of the Protect Your Store campaign – which aims to highlight the risks that the government’s generational ban on tobacco could pose on staff welfare, job cuts, and illicit trade – this week hand-delivered 1,435 signed letters from shop owners to business secretary Peter Kyle at Westminster.
Cheema said the letters represented “the growing frustration among convenience retailers nationwide who feel ignored despite repeatedly warning that the legislation could devastate local businesses and threaten jobs across the UK”.
He also highlighted that convenience stores remain vital parts of their communities, providing jobs for mothers and young people, and essential services for the elderly and vulnerable.
“Retailers are in a world of pain right now with higher NICs, higher business rates and higher wage costs all in the last year,” said Cheema. ”On top of that, the government now wants to slap more regulations on us with their Tobacco and Vapes Bill – bringing in an unworkable generational ban and reducing access to information for those wanting to make better choices, all while failing to prevent the illicit trade.
“We’ve written, we’ve called, we’ve tried every way we can to be heard – but the government still isn’t listening. So, I’m taking things into my own hands and bringing all 1,435 letters straight to their doorstep. Retailers deserve to be heard, and this delivery makes that impossible to ignore.”
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