Customs & Excise swooped on leading Scottish retailers after the introduction of the duty paid mark for cigarettes and seized leftover stock which could not be shifted in time to meet the July 1 deadline. A leading retailer said: "We marked down cigarettes 10% in the run up to the deadline, as we would lose even more money under the returns to supplier system. "We had some leftovers on the premises when Customs visited one of my stores late at night. They confiscated these cigarettes, even though they were clearly marked as not for sale." Scottish convenience chain Morning Noon and Night marketing director Stephen Thompson said: "A lot of independents were in a panic as the deadline approached. We had returns even though we had been extremely rigorous in controlling stock. Customs did visit our shops but they found practically nothing to confiscate." Scottish Grocers' Federation president Dougie Edgar said: "Retailers were receiving unstamped stock up to the Budget in March. That did not give them enough time to clear out slower moving lines by July. The government has done it all wrong. Retailers should have been able to return cartons of cigarettes to manufacturers for a full refund." And the Association of Convenience stores criticised disparity in the system of returns to suppliers. Public affairs and communications manager James Lowman said: "We had advised our members of the changes a long way in advance, but the disparities in the approaches of the different suppliers to the returns process caused unnecessary complications for independents." But Edgar said: "In the last three or four months cigarette sales have picked up, which shows the mark is helping to reduce bootlegging." {{NEWS }}