Tobacconists could be stubbed out

Published on Friday 31 October 2008 20:35

IN A small, tidy shop on Edinburgh's Royal Mile, the walls are laden with exotic names. Cohiba, Diplomaticos and Romeo y Julieta sit neatly on the shelves.

Chris Kilpatrick reaches up to the top shelf and carefully brings down a Montecristo No 4, the best-selling cigar in the world. Slowly he takes it out, gently squeezes the tobacco and inhales the aroma.

But this ritual, so beloved by regular customers, is now facing a threat. Under government proposals, Mr Kilpatrick will have to banish his array of more than 100 cigars to the stock room.

In September Alex Salmond, the First Minister, included tackling smoking in his legislative programme, with a plan to ban the display of tobacco products in shops.

Scottish tobacconists believe this could make it "extremely difficult" for their specialist shops to continue trading.

"We need to be able to display our products," said Mr Kilpatrick. "A ban on the display of tobacco would make it extremely difficult. There is no doubt that business would suffer.

"One of the government's suggestions is that we provide a long list of our products for customers to choose, but customers want to see, touch and smell the products before they buy."

The legislation is aimed at reducing the number of young smokers in Scotland, by putting products out of sight and making tobacco, in particular cigarettes, less of an attraction and less accessible to children.

Mr Kilpatrick is chairman of the Independent Scottish Specialist Tobacconists' Association. Formed in the summer, it has written to Mr Salmond pleading its members' case. It has met representatives from the Department for Health to explain how they will be affected.

Alan Myerthall, who runs the Little Havana Cigar Store on Edinburgh's Leith Walk, said: "We need a dispensation from the legislation, because it is going to be impossible for specialist tobacconists to trade.

"There are no plans for exceptions to the legislation. A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "These things have to be considered, but the main point is that this legislation is being brought forward because we are talking about saving lives."

Anti-smoking groups agree with the proposed law, due to be introduced in the new year. The chief executive of Ash Scotland, Sheila Duffy, said: "Forty-one young Scots start smoking each day, and the vast majority of child smokers buy their cigarettes from shops.

"Colin Borland, a spokesman for the Federation of Small Businesses in Scotland, said: "The Scottish Government needs to be exceptionally careful when drafting its tobacco legislation that it doesn't risk the viability of independent retailers."

FACTBOX

&#149 The Montecristo No. 4 is the best selling Habanos cigar.

&#149 The Montecristo brand, founded in 1935, was named after the Alexandre Dumas novel, The Count of Monte Cristo.

&#149 Other cigar brands, including Romeo y Julieta, were named after books read out during the rolling process in the factory.

&#149 Romeo y Julieta is a rich, earthy cigar which takes about half an hour to smoke and is particularly popular with those new to cigars.

&#149 Fidel Castro smoked Cohiba Habanos cigars. He founded the brand and they were exclusive to the Cuban government until 1982.

&#149 At 9.25in the Montecristo A is the largest regularly rolled cigar in the world.