Stop & Shop to end tobacco sales
One of the East Coast’s largest grocers is taking multiple steps to encourage its customers to quit tobacco.
Stop & Shop, an Ahold Delhaize USA banner, has announced that it will stop selling all cigarettes and tobacco products at its 360 stores. The grocer, which operates across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, plans to end sales of all tobacco products at all stores by Aug. 31 as a part of the brand’s commitment to community wellness.
In addition to stopping tobacco sales, Stop & Shop is encouraging customers to quit smoking by hosting two cigarette buyback events on Aug. 28, at locations in neighborhoods within the brands footprint that have higher rates of smoking and smoking-related health issues.
“Our responsibility as a grocer goes far beyond our aisles, and we are committed to taking bold steps to help our associates, customers, and communities work towards better health outcomes,” said Gordon Reid, president ofStop & Shop. “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.”
At both events, the first 100 customers who bring in an unopened pack or carton of cigarettes to trade in will receive in exchange a Stop & Shop gift card, plus a bag filled with healthy snacks, mints, smoking cessation materials created in partnership with Stop & Shop’s long term partners, the American Cancer Society, and its advocacy affiliate the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, plus $10 off coupons for Nicorette provided by health product manufacturer Haleon. The events will take place on Aug. 28 at the Grove Hall, Boston, Stop & Shop location at 460 Blue Hill Ave., and at Stop & Shop’s store location at 1351 Forest Ave on Staten Island, New York.
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“We are pleased to partner with Stop & Shop as they commit to ending the sales of all tobacco products in their stores,” said Dr. Karen E. Knudsen, CEO of the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. “This is a step in the right direction toward ending Big Tobacco’s influence on kids, and we know even more can be done to reduce the toll of tobacco in our communities. From state and local governments to schools and businesses, we can all play a part in protecting public health. We urge state lawmakers to prioritize tobacco control program funding so that those inspired to quit by this effort have the resources they need to help them succeed.”
Ahold Delhaize USA, a division of Zaandam, Netherlands-based Ahold Delhaize, operates more than 2,000 stores across 23 states under the Food Lion, Giant Food, The Giant Co., Hannaford and Stop & Shop banners.
