Listen to this articleThe supermarket chain Stop & Shop announces that it will soon stop selling all cigarettes and tobacco products.
As part of its “commitment to the common good,” the Ahold Delhaize-owned grocer announced it would stop selling tobacco by August 31 in the 360 stores it owns and operates in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and Connecticut.
The company announced the change in an Aug. 26 press release. Stop & Shop President Gordon Reid said, “Our responsibility … extends far beyond our shelves, and we are committed to taking bold steps to help our associates, customers and communities work toward better health outcomes. From our team of board-certified dietitians who serve our customers free of charge to our trained and trusted pharmacy associates, Stop & Shop aims to support the health and well-being of the neighborhoods we serve – and this exit from the tobacco business is another way to achieve that goal.”
Stop & Shop cited data from the World Health Organization from December 2020. According to the WHO, around 780 million people worldwide want to quit smoking, but only 30% say they have access to tools to help them do so.
Meanwhile, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cigarette smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths nationwide each year, and more than 16 million Americans currently suffer from a smoking-related illness.
A “step in the right direction”
Stop & Shop will also hold cigarette buybacks at two stores in Boston and Staten Island, New York, on August 28. The chain said it chose these locations because they have higher rates of smoking and higher rates of smoking-related health problems.
In both programs, the first 100 customers to bring in an unopened pack or carton of cigarettes for exchange will receive a Stop & Shop gift card. They will also receive a bag of healthy snacks, mints, $10 Nicorette coupons from Warren-based health giant Haleon and smoking cessation materials created in partnership with the American Cancer Society.
The American Cancer Society expressed its joy at working with Stop & Shop to remove tobacco products from stores.
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Karen Knudsen, executive director of the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, called it “a step in the right direction to end the tobacco industry’s influence on children.”
She continued, “We know more can be done to reduce the consequences of tobacco use in our communities. We urge state lawmakers to prioritize funding for tobacco control programs so that those motivated to quit through these efforts have the tools they need to be successful.”
Stop & Shop is the latest retailer to stop selling tobacco products. Several other chains, including Walmart, CVS, Target and Wegmans, have distanced themselves from smoking under pressure from health activists.
Stop & Shop, based in Quincy, Massachusetts, recently announced plans to close three dozen low-revenue stores in the Northeast by November as part of an effort to strengthen its brand. In addition to 10 locations in New Jersey, the chain plans to close eight stores in Massachusetts, seven stores in New York, five stores in Connecticut and two stores in Rhode Island.
