Stores raised more than $36,000 in 45-days to help fight diabetes. Smoker Friendly International, in conjunction with The Cigarette Store Corp., chose to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) as its primary charitable cause in 2011 by joining the “Walk to Cure Diabetes” through sneaker sales in its stores. Having the best year ever, [...]
Hot dispensed beverages up 54% for the three-month period, ended June 30, 2011. Total merchandise purchases by truckstops nationwide served by McLane Corp. increased 24% during the 2011 second quarter, compared with a year earlier, led largely by hot and cold beverage sales along with commissary, foodservice, dairy and deli sales, according to the McLane-NATSO [...]
FDA Center for Tobacco Products posted two Draft Guidance documents and an Advance Notice of Proposed Rule-Making, and encourages retailers to review the documents and submit comments. • Draft Guidance for Industry and FDA Staff Demonstrating the Substantial Equivalence of a New Tobacco Product: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions. This draft guidance provides information in [...]
The New York Association of Convenience Stores (NYACS) has reported that cigarette sales at convenience stores in New York have seen a steep decline since the $1.60 per pack cigarette tax increase hit on July 1, 2010. New York State now holds the highest state cigarette tax rate in the nation at $4.35 per pack, [...]
On Monday night, June 21, 2010, the New York Legislature narrowly agreed to increase the state’s tax on cigarettes. The tax is now set to grow by an additional $1.60-to a national-high $4.35 a pack, the New York Daily News reported. When adding in city and federal taxes, the tax charged on one pack [...]
Britain’s three biggest tobacco companies are fighting for the right to display their products, asking for a judicial review of the Government’s upcoming ban on the display of cigarettes and other tobacco products in stores, Brand Republic reported. Britain’s Health Act 2009 requires all cigarettes, cigars, pipe and rolling tobacco products to be hidden from [...]
C-store sales jumped 5% in 2009 despite the economic conditions, reduction in overall consumer spending. Convenience store in-store sales grew 4.9% in 2009, one of the lone bright spots in a battered U.S. economy that saw overall retail sales drop 7%, according to figures released today by NACS. The industry numbers were announced in Chicago [...]
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released its final rules regarding the sale of tobacco. Retailers will need to be in compliance with these rules, which restrict the sale, distribution and use of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, by June 22. The new rules include provisions that: •Prohibit sales of cigarette packages with fewer than [...]
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the PACT Act (Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act) on a vote of 387-25. “A significant amount of work has gone into getting this bill passed by both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House, and I extend a special thank you to all NATO members for their assistance [...]
The Coalition to Stop Contraband Tobacco has praised the New York Association of Counties for passing a resolution calling for the federal government to support and implement the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act of 2009, S. 1147. The resolution, passed by NYSAC on Feb. 11, 2010, calls on Congress “to take any and [...]
RETAIL THEFT 2009 Employee theft accounted for 35.2% of shrink dollars. 41.2% of retailers worldwide experienced a significant increase in shoplifting in 2009, attributable to the economic downturn. Shoplifting and employee theft in the U.S. cost retailers $42.2 billion from June 2008 to June 2009. Every American family was forced to pay an additional $435 [...]
State Tax Grab During 2009, cigarette tax increases were defeated in 19 states and passed into law in 12 states. States where cigarette tax increases were not enacted include: STATE Failed TAX Increase in 2009 Alabama 32.5 cents per pack Connecticut 50 cents per pack Georgia $1 per pack Kansas 95 cents per pack over [...]
RYO Pounds Sold Per Year Roll your own (RYO) cigarettes is a growing trend. Sales have climbed during the past five years, yet took a dive in 2009 as customers started using pipe tobacco to roll cigarettes as a result of increased taxes. On the other hand, customers used 10.6 million pounds of pipe tobacco [...]
An Ohio coalition refutes the findings of a recent report claiming that increasing Ohio’s cigarette tax by $1 per pack would bring the state $299.7 million per year. The report released yesterday, entitled, Tobacco Taxes: A Win-Win-Win for Cash-Strapped States is based on national and state surveys of registered voters. “Any economist will tell you [...]
Convenience store retailers are all too aware of the many problems related to selling cigarettes. Ever-increasing taxes equal lower profit margins, smoking prohibitions reduce retail sales, not to mention fire hazards, odor, and of course, health problems. NJOY changes the old paradigm for the better. It is a rechargeable electronic cigarette used by more than [...]