Proposal to ban tobacco displays an 'unproven gimmick'

Published on Tuesday 16 June 2009 22:45

THE Scottish Government's proposal to ban tobacco displays were yesterday branded an "unproven gimmick" by retailers.

Members of the Tobacco Retailers Alliance hit out at the proposal as the results of a survey were disclosed.

The survey suggested 75 per cent of small shopkeepers in Scotland believe the display ban will directly threaten their business, while 89 per cent said they believed the government had not listened to their opinions.

And six in every ten retailers are worried that the display ban will take trade away from them to larger stores.

The poll questioned 83 Scottish retailers, as part of a wider UK study, and found 54 per cent of them believe the display ban may increase retail crime.

The ban proposal has been put forward by the Scottish Government in the Tobacco and Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Bill, which aims to curb sales of tobacco and cigarettes to young people.

But Fiona Barrett, a shopkeeper in Glasgow and a spokeswoman for the Tobacco Retailers Alliance in Scotland, said the survey backed their argument that "a ban on tobacco displays will put many independent shopkeepers out of business".

Ms Barrett said: "If the government is serious about tackling youth smoking, it should not be wasting time on unproven gimmicks like banning tobacco displays as it is preposterous to state that young people take up smoking because they see it on display in shops. They start smoking because they want to look older or because of peer pressure."

If the bill is passed, large retailers will have until 2011 to implement the ban, while small stores will have until 2013.