Govt imposes more costs, higher security risks

Govt imposes more costs, higher security risks on retailers [Association of Community Retailers]
Press Release
4 November 2010

Banning the display of tobacco products in retail outlets announced by the Government today will see retailers having to pay possibly thousands of dollars reconfiguring their shops and place higher security risks at their place of work.

ACR tobacco spokesperson, Richard Green, a tobacconist from Palmerston North, said today that it was a “sad day for retailers.”

“Today’s proposed changes in legislation will not result in reduced consumption of tobacco in society, but it will place extra costs on retailers and put them at greater risk in their places of work,” Mr Green said.

In survey in July this year, over 60 percent of Kiwi retailers did not agree banning displays and almost 90 percent said that any such ban would not reduce smoking.

“The anti-tobacco lobby groups that have received funding from the Government to reduce smoking say this is the silver bullet to reduce smoking. They said the same thing about banning advertising, banning smoking in bars and clubs, putting graphic health warnings on packs and other measures, all of which have not stopped people smoking. These latest raft of changes will have the same effect,” Mr Green said.

The National Government did not support any retail display ban in 2009 and now has rolled over to keep a coalition party happy.

“These recommendations are extreme measures. They will result in retailers being put at further risk. The days of being a successful retailer in this country just got a lot harder,” Mr Green said.

ENDS

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