So now we know that the Coalition Government could not find a satisfactory way to overturn the tobacco display ban that was passed in to law within the Health Act 2010. The recent announcement is very disappointing, but there are two significant concessions within the Tobacco Control document. These are the delay of the implementation of the law until 2015 and the doubling of the space allowed for an on request display by a customer.
So how will this affect us? As Michael Laydon posted here about the increased period of grace between the display ban’s implementation at stores over 3,000 square feet will assist small stores in retaining market share in a changing environment.
But what next? The second concession that the display area would be allowed to be opened at a customer’s request and be doubled from the original 0.75 square metres to 1.5 square metres. This would seem to allow our current display gantry to continue to be satisfactory into the era of the display ban. We have a 1.1 metre unit with a lockable roll down shutter and the 1.5 square metre display that will be allowed means that we can have six shelves on display at a customer’s request. Using the roll down shutter to cover the cigarettes and tobacco during all other times seems to me to be a cost free solution to the challenge of meeting the requirements of this legislation.
Here are two photographs showing our solution! Clearly retailers with wider displays will be more challenged and it would be interesting to hear of anyone’s innovative solutions to this problem.
PS Our rolled down shutter will offer a blank area in view of customers at our counter that will offer an opportunity to promote other aspects of our business, but will the government (or the tobacco companies) allow this to happen?
Abdul Qadar
13/03/2011
Steve the devil will be in the detail. Will you be allowed to lift the shutter and show what goodies are available and after picking out the pack will you have to lower the shutter or will you be able to complete the transaction and then lower the shutter. What happens if there are two customers in a row or three wanting to decide on their purchase. Credit/debit card transactions take longer, do you keep an eye on the customer or turnround to lower the shutter.
Vast majority of shops are a single person operations and as the transaction time is likely to be longer will other customers wait or walkout, from my 22 year experiance the latter will occur more and more, customers choosing to go into larger stores.
Steve
13/03/2011
I guess these details are still to be worked out with Trading Standards and Government. Still plenty of work to be done by the trade associations then.
Eddie Douthwaite
13/03/2011
The Anti-Smoking lobby will make sure that the strictest rules will apply in the UK. They did it with the Smoking Ban so be warned.
Tom Searle
17/03/2011
Will the “TOBACCO” header on the gantry be allowed?
Katherine Graham
18/03/2011
Hi Steve
How heavy is your security shutter? Is it practical to lift it every time you sell a product?
Tom, as far as I know there is nothing in the regulations about not having the word ‘tobacco’ above the gantry but of course retailers near schools are already governed by the TAPA 2003 regulations about promoting tobacco, and can’t have ‘tobacco’ on the external shop fascia…
Katherine
Jai Singh
29/03/2011
The ban is coming the best way round this is to speed up the customer buying process. I have been thinking about this ever since the ban was being talked about.
The questions I have is that; Can we have any graphics on the shutter of the gantry? Is there anyone out there who has designed or is in the process of designing a gantry that would suit a c-store?
Also are we allowed to display a list of the Cigs on offer so customers wishing to purchase can browse this whilst other customers are being served. Another way would be the use of a prop that indicates to a cashier that a customers is intending on purchasing tobacco (this could be an object that just says tobacco, so we can then have a list ready or open the gantry once the customer is at the checkout).
If anyone else has had any ideas, please feel free to share them.
Jai Singh
29/03/2011
Also how about dividers that divides brands of cigarettes by brand once they have been stored in Alphabetical order. This would ensure they are kept in the same order and also help finding them if they are all plain packaged. …..just an idea.
Michael White
10/12/2011
Jai, there are solutions out there in the market place, check the web site cherwellgroup.com at it will show you some of the machines available that replace the gantry, make you compliant, speed up servicing customers and give you added security.
Michael White
10/12/2011
I’m afraid his legislation is all done and dusted now, so you will have to comply or risk being illegal. It is possible to reduce the impact of this legislation, improve your security, become compliant and importantly speed up the sale of tobacco products to your customers. My company supplies the solutions via a dispensing machine. There are many arrangements by which we can install these machines and a visit to our web site (Cherwellgroup.com) may help you decide what is best for you and show you some examples of the types of machines. We have a nationwide service available.
Jai Singh
12/12/2011
Thanks Michael, I will be having a look at your site later today.