Grocery chain joins Walmart, CVS, others in ending cigarettes sales

If you want to buy a pack of cigarettes, you won't find them at Stop & Shop. 

The grocer announced this week that it plans to stop selling cigarettes and tobacco products at all of its 360 stores across the Northeast by Aug. 31 "as a part of the brand’s commitment to community wellness." 

"From our team of registered dietitians that serve our customers at no cost 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 tobacco is one more way we’re accomplishing that goal," Stop & Shop President Gordon Reid said in a statement. 

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American Cancer Society CEO Karen Knudsen said this move marks "a step in the right direction toward ending Big Tobacco’s influence on kids," though she said there is even more that "can be done to reduce the toll of tobacco in our communities."

The organization is urging state lawmakers to prioritize tobacco control program funding so more people can get the resources they need if they want to quit.  

Cigarettes (Photo by: Universal Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Katie Thornell, Stop & Shop's director of pharmacy, said the company's licensed pharmacists are able to provide guidance for smoking cessation and immunization recommendations for those who may have lowered immunity as a result of smoking.

The grocer is the latest to join a growing list of companies that have already halted the sale of such products, including Walmart, which stopped in 2019, and Target, which ended sales in 1996.

CVS has been tobacco-free since 2014. In 2019, the company said its decision resulted in 100 million fewer packs of cigarettes being sold in the first year alone. 

The company also committed $50 million to deliver the first tobacco-free generation through its Be the First initiative.

HeraldPR CEO Juda Engelmayer argued that this is "a public relations move to attract clients who want to believe their grocery store is doing all it can to make the world better, from organics, to local providers, to philanthropist and responsible activities."

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However, Engelmayer said it's not a bad idea for Stop & Shop, as it "needs to stand out from competitors" in the grocery space.

Meanwhile, Dr. Pat Basu, a physician and former CEO of Cancer Treatment Centers of America, said Stop & Shop's decision was the "right move for public health and for their business."

"Tobacco has been known for decades to be one of the greatest risks to developing cancer and heart disease," Basu said. "From a grocery chain perspective that aims to serve their communities and offer healthy options, stopping the sale of these deadly substances is a no-brainer." 

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