Decline’09 campaign drives awareness for incoming ban
INDUSTRY body the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has kicked off a new campaign to remind retailers about the incoming Generational Tobacco Ban.
Dubbed the Decline’09 campaign, the new messaging will target retailers, colleagues and consumers to remind them that, from 1 January 2027, anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 will be unable to legally purchase tobacco products.
The change marks the first time that an age restricted process will function against one singular date, rather than checking whether a person is above the age of 18 in relation to the date of purchase.
As part of the campaign, the ACS has introduced a new one-page guide to support retailers and walk them through what will be necessary to prepare for the incoming changes. This includes replacing mandatory age of sale notice POS on 1 January 2027 and training colleagues on the new rules. The asset pack is available to download from here.
Ed Woodall, chief executive at the ACS, said: “The introduction of the generational tobacco ban will require store colleagues to be trained on a whole new way of checking that someone is of age to purchase tobacco products.
“The Decline09 campaign aims to simplify that process as much as possible to ensure that colleagues can approach the change with confidence and ensure that they uphold the law.”
Kate Pike, lead officer for tobacco, vaping and nicotine at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, said: “Trading Standards have strongly backed the proposal to recognise the uniquely harmful nature of cigarettes and tobacco products through the Smoke-free Generation policy.
“We welcome the constructive guidance for retailers from the ACS, which explains how to implement the new law in a straightforward and uncomplicated manner. As always, we will continue to support legitimate businesses while taking action against those who persistently ignore their responsibilities.”
