Illicit tobacco sales continue to destroy small shops

For many years the Tobacco Retailers Alliance has undertaken surveys of its members so that it can understand the impact and consequences of Government tobacco policies. One of the topics they looked at this year is the impact on independent shop of illicit tobacco.

They found that as a result of tobacco smuggling and cross-border shopping:
29% of retailers have considered closing their business.
13% possible closure is still an issue.
31% have considered reducing staff.
92% of retailers are concerned about the effects of cross border shopping and smuggled tobacco goods.

This year the results gain good coverage across the regional TV stations including Dev Aswani on ITV Wales  . If you are a tobacco retailer its well worth watching and considering how the issue effects you. You may then want to contact your MP about this.