Cigarettes increasingly banned, entrepreneurs cautious about tobacconists | Economy

But that does not mean that specialty tobacco stores, where sales are permitted, will spring up like mushrooms. Entrepreneurs are reluctant to jump into that gap.

A total of 6,400 supermarkets and evening shops in our country will stop selling cigarettes in more than two months. Consumers can then go to specialty tobacco stores, convenience stores and gas stations.

The government wants to reduce smoking in this way. From 2030, sales at petrol stations will also be banned. This will apply from 2032 to convenience stores such as AKO and Primera.

According to director Janwillem Burgering of NSO Retail, the advocate for entrepreneurs with a tobacco or convenience store, tens of thousands of points of sale have disappeared in recent years. “In return, eight to fifteen hundred specialty stores should be added, but that is far from the case.”

Burgering announces that 34 new stores were added last year. This year, a total of one hundred stores are expected. “It must be profitable from a business perspective to open such a store. Moreover, there are also many entrepreneurs who stop because they have reached retirement age.”

Furthermore, the government wants a smoke-free society from 2040. Smoking is no longer as hip as it was decades ago when puffing was everywhere. More and more people have conscientious objections and that does not make it attractive for entrepreneurs.

Primera nevertheless plans to start a new chain for specialty tobacco stores under the name Volado. Entrepreneurs who see a reason to open a separate tobacco specialty store are supported by Primera. The first pilot store is expected to open in mid-June.

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“In 2032, a Primera entrepreneur will have to make a choice between a Volado tobacco specialty store or a convenience store with the name Primera,” says general manager Christel Teeuwen. “In this way, entrepreneurs can make a timely choice between convenience or tobacco. We expect that the large majority of our entrepreneurs will continue as Primera stores.” The company has more than 540 stores.

There are currently sixteen hundred specialty shops and two thousand petrol stations where cigarettes are for sale. Some entrepreneurs, especially in rural areas, see opportunities to start their own tobacco specialty store, because smoking products are no longer available in the area.

Pieter Vlamings from Dinteloord runs a gas station, but has also opened a separate tobacconist since January 2. “We are in an area where people have to go to Bergen op Zoom or Roosendaal for tobacco if the ban will soon also apply to supermarkets and gas stations. That is why I have opened my own shop.”