In November 2015, cigarette sales increased by 9.6% compared to November 2014. A spectacular increase that the OFDT has difficulty in explaining.
While tobacconists had a difficult start to the year, cigarette sales exploded at the end of 2015! The anti-smoking associations will lament but in November 2015, they increased by 9.6% and those of rolling tobacco by almost 13% compared to November 2014, reveals the latest monthly dashboard tobacco from the French Observatory for Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT).
It should be noted, however, that cumulatively since January, sales have “slightly” increased for cigarettes (+ 0.7%). However, the effects of the economic crisis must have been felt on the wallet of smokers because roll-your-own tobacco remained clearly on the rise (+ 6.3%) in 2015.
One more delivery day
As an explanation for this spectacular increase at the end of the year, the OFDT underlines “that in November 2015 there is one delivery day (working days during which tobacconists can be supplied) more than in the same month in 2014 This observation also applies cumulatively over the period from January to November. “However, this additional day alone cannot explain the increases in sales, particularly for roll-your-own tobacco,” he adds.
Its president, Bruno Falissard told us that we will “surely have to look at the countries bordering France, see if sales have fallen or if taxes on tobacco have increased”.
Indeed, an additional delivery day represents only 5% more sales over a month and 0.4% more over a year, it is written. in a press release. The OFDT also specifies that it was necessary to “remain cautious about monthly trends (…) In 2015, for cigarettes, if we compare each month to the same in 2014, there were five months of decline and six of increases until November, including two small increases ”.
In addition, the spectacular increase in November follows two months of notable declines in September and October. “We must therefore wait until December to have a precise idea of the overall development in 2015”, concludes the Observatory.
Finally, at the same time as this increase, sales of smoking cessation treatments also increased compared to November 2014 (+ 6%), as did the use of tobacco consultations (+ 11% of new patients) and the Tobacco system. info service (+ 42.6% of calls managed by tobacco specialists in the service and 15 times more registered for coaching).
Source: ODFT
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