cigarettes

The most recently available statistics show that 22 per cent of adults smoke, a 2 per cent drop since before the smoking ban was introduced last July. The Government has set a target of reducing the figure to 21 per cent by 2010. Retailers made clear last night that removing buy cigarettes from sight could carry heavy costs, forcing many convenience stores to carry out refits costing thousands of pounds. The Association of Convenience Stores said it would challenge the Government to prove that removing cigarettes from display would have any effect. The bodyТs chief executive, James Lowman, said that the change would carry Уmajor operational and equipment costsФ. УWe would expect the Government to present a clear case that these measures were necessary before placing yet another significant burden on thousands of retailers across the country,Ф he said. A spokesman for the British Retail Consortium said that, while tobacco represented a Уvery smallФ part of overall sales in a typical supermarket, banning all tobacco products from sight could be impractical. УAny further regulations should be balanced against the practical implications for serving customers who want to buy these products.Ф