This article is from page 102 of the 2008-09-30 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 102 JPG
GOVERNMENT regulations which require shopkeepers to place all to- bacco products under the counter and completely out of sight of their cus- tomers will deal the final death blow to local convenience shops according to a prominent Ennis retailer.
Jim O’Dowd who is a member of the Convenience Stores and Newsa- gents Association (CSNA) and own- er of O’Dowds Convenience Store at
the Turnpike in Ennis claims that if civil servants have their way, small newsagents will face higher costs and fewer customers because of the way new rules restricting the sale of tobacco are enforced.
“No-one will have a clue whether we even Sell tobacco or not,’ he HOR
Under the new rules, customers who want to buy tobacco have to ask for a special menu and shopkeepers fear their turnover will be dramati-
cally reduced as frustrated custom- ers queue to view a menu and then wait while the shopkeeper retrieves the tobacco.
“Our shops are all about speed and convenience for the customer. If you take that away you are destroying our business model and taking the last advantage we have left”, the En- nis shopkeeper said.
Shopkeepers say there is al- ready a simple solution to the problem. The Bill passed by the Dail
that restricts tobacco advertising does not insist that all products are put out of sight; it allows for a sample pack of each product to be displayed behind the counter to provide cus- tomer information.
“Our members will have to foot the bill to train staff how to use the new system – couple this with the fact that it will now take us twice as long to stocktake and you have a huge im- position on local shop owners,” said Vincent Jennings, Chief Executive of
the CSNA.
‘Furthermore, there is no way that all the shops in Ireland can possibly be re-fitted in time for the supposed deadline of next summer. This will leave shops exposed to prosecution that could devastate their business at a time when they are already under severe economic pressure.”
Minister Mary Wallace is due to decide whether to impose the single pack or the stricter menu option in October.