Third of Doncaster shopkeepers would ditch cigarette sales to become smoke-free stores

The study said that 34% of Doncaster’s convenience store owners would become ‘smoke-free’ retailers by completely replacing cigarettes with smoke-free products, like e-cigarettes and heat-not-burn products.

And 45% of convenience retailers in Doncaster believe retailers could be more involved in helping adult smokers switch to smoke-free alternatives.

Across England, 8 in 10 ex-smokers would have welcomed more advice from convenience stores on smoke-free products, with two-thirds agreeing stores could do more to help smokers abandon cigarettes.

The Big Switch Report, by KAM and Lake Research, commissioned by Philip Morris Limited, aimed to discover whether convenience retailers in England were helping smokers switch away from cigarettes by improving access to, and awareness of, smoke-free products, like e-cigarettes and heat-not-burn products.

44% of retailers in Doncaster think smokers would appreciate more support from local retailers to switch to smoke-free alternatives and 44% think it 'Likely' that their community will be 'smoke-free' by the year 2030.

Two-thirds of retailers in Doncaster (66%) say their adult customers use smoke-free products to move away from cigarettes.

The research involving 1,400+ convenience store owners and over 1,000 former adult smokers, reveals a growing movement of retailers feeling motivated into helping customers abandon cigarettes by shifting their businesses towards smoke-free products, and sheds new light on the important - and largely unseen role - convenience retailers are playing to help communities go smoke-free.

However, the findings also revealed several challenges, such as insufficient knowledge in the smoke-free category and concerns for building a sustainable business without cigarettes, which prevented retailers from helping smokers switch.

Overall, the Big Switch offers a positive outlook as to how retailers in England could be accelerating the journey towards a smoke-free future, by helping smokers abandon cigarettes for good.

Christian Woolfenden, Managing Director at PML, said: “The Big Switch Report reveals how switching adult smokers from cigarettes to smoke-free products has become a new pillar of community-focused retailing. Rather than retaining customers as cigarette smokers, convenience retailers are building stronger connections over the countertop to improve awareness of, and access to, alternative products like e-cigarettes and heat-not-burn products.

“As the only tobacco company purposefully working to phase out cigarettes completely, we will continue to support retailers, so they’re able to communicate the benefits of smoke-free alternatives to their adult customers who are unable to quit tobacco and nicotine products completely.”

James Lowman, Chief Executive at the Association of Convenience Retailers (ACS), the voice of over 33,500 local shops nationwide, added: “Convenience store retailers are embedded in their communities, with a reach unlike any other sector in the UK grocery market.

“This community grounding of convenience stores enables the people running and working in stores to be acutely in tune with the needs of their customers, but retailers also need to look at data from wider research to keep abreast of trends.

“The e-cigarette and smoke-free category is changing fast, so it’s important to understand consumer attitudes and benchmark with your own experiences and sales information.”