Midwest grocer Schnucks to stop selling tobacco products
Schnuck Markets Inc., one of the Midwest’s largest grocery store chains, announced on Thursday that it will stop selling cigarettes, chewing tobacco and other tobacco products as of Jan. 1.
Suburban St. Louis-based Schnucks is the largest grocer in the St. Louis area and operates 115 stores overall in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Iowa. The privately held company already does not sell e-cigarettes or vaping products.
“Tobacco products are certainly a profitable part of our business, but our company’s mission is to nourish people’s lives,” Schnucks Chairman and CEO Todd Schnuck said in a statement. “Tobacco products directly contradict our core mission and that means that they simply don’t belong in our stores. We respect people’s right to make decisions that are best for them, and while we know this may not sit well with everyone, we believe it’s the right thing to do for the health of our communities, and our customers and that makes it the right decision for our company.”
The grocery chain said removing tobacco is part of a broader effort to focus on wellness and promote healthier choices for customers. Other efforts include a partnership with workout centers to encourage physical activity and the launch of a program that teaches life skills and health habits to children. The store’s app also allows customers to view nutritional information.
Schnucks, which was founded in St. Louis in 1939, is "a third-generation, family-owned grocery and pharmacy retailer committed to nourishing people’s lives." Schnucks operates 115 stores in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Iowa, and employs 14,500 people.
“I’m sure that we will disappoint some customers by discontinuing the sale of the product,” Schnuck told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “But when we look at the grand scheme of things well, what’s the right thing to do? And we believe discontinuing the sale of tobacco products is the right thing to do.”
Schnucks will sell through its existing inventory through the end of the year, and starting on Oct. 15 - and continuing indefinitely - Schnucks will offer double Schnucks Rewards points on all over-the counter smoking cessation products. The company will also continue its practice of not selling e-cigarettes or vaping products.
“Tobacco products directly contradict our core mission and that means that they simply don’t belong in our stores.”
Missouri, where the majority of Schnucks stores are located, has one of the nation’s highest smoking rates - about 21 percent among adults – but that is down from 25 percent in 2011. Missouri also has the nation’s lowest tobacco tax rates, 17 cents per pack of cigarettes.
The vast majority of cigarettes in Missouri are sold in gas stations and convenience stores — about 69 percent according to a 2017 study published in Preventative Medicine. Less than 5 percent are sold in supermarkets, according to that study. Schnucks stores typically have one lane where customers can purchase tobacco products.
Privately-held Schnucks declined to say what percent of its sales were from tobacco.
Robin Koval, CEO of anti-tobacco nonprofit Truth Initiative, applauded the move by Schnucks. “We know that when tobacco is easily accessed, easily available, when young people see it in the store, that all contributes to making it seem acceptable and normal for young people,” Koval said. “So these kinds of moves are important.”
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Schnucks has a 30 percent share of the St. Louis grocery market since it acquired of 19 Shop ’n Save stores a year ago.
“We’re proud of what we’re doing and trying to take a leadership role in this and hope that others would give it a lot of thought,” Schnuck told the Post-Dispatch, who feels other stores should follow suit.
“Schnucks has historically been a great partner to the American Cancer Society and this action shows that they, like us, are truly committed to fighting cancer from every angle,” Gary Reedy, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society, said in a statement. “There remains an urgent need for all of us to do more.”
Other chains have stopped selling tobacco products in recent years, which started when CVS enacted its ban in 2014. Walmart announced in May that it was raising the minimum age to buy tobacco products to 21 from 18, a move that Walgreens announced recently.
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New York City banned the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products in drug stores and other stores that contain pharmacies, such as supermarkets and discounters, at the start of this year.