January 18, 2017.
According to figures from distributor Logista, the number of cigarettes sold in France fell by 1.2%. How to explain this decline?
Cigarette sales fell 1.2% in France in one year
You may be one of those former smokers who recently made the choice to quit. Ever higher prices, the arrival of neutral packages and shocking images, the multiplication of prevention campaigns … Many measures have been put in place to convince smokers to quit and it seems to have paid off. In 2016, cigarette sales fell by 1.2%, according to figures from Logista.
This trend could well be confirmed this year with the price increase at the end of January: the price of cigarettes is expected to increase by 30 to 40 cents and roll-your-own tobacco from € 1.40 to € 1.60. But according to some healthcare professionals, prices should increase even more significantly to force smokers to quit even more effectively.
Increase in cigarette purchases on parallel markets?
The tobacco-free month launched by the government in November and the rise of electronic cigarettes have certainly helped smokers make the decision to quit once and for all. But the decline in cigarette sales could also hide another reality: the increase in cigarette purchases in parallel markets, on the Internet or abroad. More than one in 4 smokers would no longer go to the tobacconist to buy their tobacco.
Gérard Vidal, president of the Haute-Garonne tobacconist’s union, is among those who believe that tobacco consumption has not fallen but that smokers have only changed the way they buy cigarettes. ” Andorra is the traffic hub for southern Europe », He explained to our colleagues from The Dispatch. And to recommend ” harmonization of tobacco prices in Europe, down to € 1, to stop this trafficking and conduct a real and relevant health policy “.
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