Preparing ahead for new tobacco legislations
CONFUSION over the nicotine category can easily come around when new rulings are set to be introduced.
With endless legislation to stay on top of, as well as new products entering the category regularly, nicotine remains a tricky channel to stay on top of for any retailer.
Fortunately, Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) reckons it stands ready to support retailers across the cigar subcategory here, to ensure store owners are up to date in all the latest information as well as what new products are entering the market.
And when it comes to gaining a greater understanding of the category, nothing can be better than a personal conversation with an expert about it, at least that’s the take from Nataly Scarpetta, marketing manager at STG UK.
She said: “When it comes to better understanding the category, nothing beats face-to-face communication. So, first and foremost, we have our field sales force that goes out and visits c-store retailers
daily to share their knowledge and expertise on how to maximise sales from cigars.
“If they don’t currently get regular visits from an STG rep, then retailers are very welcome to email us at enquries.uk@st-group.com to request a visit.
“When it comes to digital support, we have our trade website, which is a good reference point for retailers to visit at a convenient time to increase their knowledge and that of their staff.”
One piece of incoming legislation that STG is urging retailers to stay clued up on is the update to Track and Trace, which will roll out across all tobacco products from 20 May 2024.
First introduced in 2019, the Track and Trace feature already covers the sale of factory made cigarettes as well as roll your own tobacco options but, from May next year, it will also apply to all tobacco products, including cigars and pipe tobacco.
Retailers will need to ensure all tobacco products in their stores follow this legislation from May onwards, including unique identifiers on the packaging as well as ensuring that your economic operator ID covers all products in this category.
Retailers who fail to ensure they are covered could face a hefty fine, with penalties starting from £2,500 and going as high as £10,000 – even for a first offence.
Further to this, retailers could also see their operator ID to sell tobacco products revoked completely from a second offence onwards.
Therefore, STG is urging store owners who stock cigar and pipe tobacco products to be prepared well in advance for this and ensure they are not caught out by the new updates to the Track and Trace legislation.
Despite the ongoing challenges in legislation, the firm has pushed for retailers to stock up on more cigar options, especially as we approach the Christmas months, where they are seen as more of a treat option for smokers out there looking to trade up during the festivities.
Seeking to make the most of this, STG has teased a new launch for its Henri Wintermans Half Corona brand, in a bid to drive up some extra sales for those consumers who are looking to pick up on a larger cigar format to help celebrate during the Christmas season.
Scarpetta said: ”Finally, we’ll soon be announcing some exciting news for our Henri Wintermans Half Corona brand, which is always particularly popular in the run-up to Christmas, when many adult smokers choose to enjoy a large cigar.”
