Stop & Shop, the state’s largest grocery chain with seven stores in the Attleboro area, has announced it will sell its last tobacco product by Saturday.
“Our responsibility as a grocer extends far beyond our shelves, and we are committed to taking bold steps to help our associates, customers and communities work toward better health outcomes,” Stop & Shop President Gordon Reid said in a statement Monday.
The Quincy-based grocery chain has 360 stores in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey and is the latest retailer to stop selling tobacco products. It has two stores in Attleboro and one in Seekonk, North Attleboro, Mansfield, Foxboro and Plainville.
Stop & Shop has not only stopped selling tobacco products, but also wants to encourage its customers to quit smoking. On Wednesday, the company is holding two cigarette buyback events, one at the store at 460 Blue Hill Avenue in Boston and one in Staten Island, New York. The two stores were identified by Stop & Shop as neighborhoods with higher rates of smoking and higher rates of smoking-related health problems.
At both events, the first 100 customers to bring an unopened pack or carton of cigarettes will receive a Stop & Shop gift card and a bag full of healthy snacks, mints, smoking cessation materials and $10 Nicorette discount coupons.
“This is a step in the right direction toward ending the tobacco industry’s influence on children, and we know more can be done to reduce the impact of tobacco use in our communities,” said Dr. Karen E. Knudsen, CEO of the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, in the announcement.
“From state and local governments to schools and businesses, we can all play a role in protecting public health. We urge state legislators to prioritize funding for tobacco control programs so that those motivated to quit through these efforts have the tools they need to succeed,” she said.
According to the World Health Organization, approximately 780 million people worldwide want to quit smoking, but only 30% have the means to do so.
Other retailers that have stopped selling tobacco products in recent years include CVS, Walgreens and Walmart.
