The supermarket chain Stop & Shop will no longer sell cigarettes and tobacco, the grocer announced on Monday.
The Massachusetts-based grocer, which has 360 stores in parts of the Northeast, including New Jersey and New York, plans to stop selling all tobacco products by August 31.
The decision was made to support the brand’s “commitment to community well-being,” the company said in a press release.
“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.
Stop & Shop joins a group of major retailers like CVS and Walmart that have stopped selling tobacco in recent years to prioritize the health of their customers.
As part of its move away from tobacco use, Stop & Shop is partnering with the American Cancer Society to host cigarette buyback events on August 28 to encourage customers to quit smoking.
One event will be held at Stop & Shop’s Forest Avenue location in Staten Island, New York – a location in a community that the company says has higher rates of smoking and smoking-related health problems.
The first 100 customers who bring in an unopened pack or carton of cigarettes for exchange will receive a gift card and a bag of healthy snacks, according to the grocer.
“We are pleased to partner with Stop & Shop as they commit to ending the sale of all tobacco products in their stores,” said Dr. Karen E. Knudsen, CEO of the American Cancer Society, in a statement. “This is a step in the right direction to end the tobacco industry’s influence on children, and we know more can be done to reduce the consequences of tobacco use in our communities.”
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