Convenience-store retailers have two top concerns when it comes to tobacco: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s proposed menthol cigarette and flavored cigar ban, and consumers smoking less.
When asked what the greatest threat was to the tobacco category, the FDA’s menthol cigarette and flavored cigar ban, and consumers smoking less topped the list with 25% of the vote each.
Meanwhile, retailers were split as to what they thought about tobacco companies’ initiatives to move beyond combustible cigarettes. Nearly 47% said it was a bad idea because consumers won’t switch and there will be other consequences, and just over 44% said it was a good idea because consumers will move to less-risky alternatives. Nine percent of respondents were indifferent.