In Denmark there are clear guidelines for tobacco merchandise: they have to be saved out of sight of shoppers. Not on the shelf, not at eye degree – hidden, because the legislation requires. However that is precisely the place the issue lies with the Salling Group, which is represented all through Denmark with its supermarkets Bilka, Føtex and Netto.
What the legislation requires – and why it issues
The Danish Tobacco Promoting Act has a transparent goal: to guard youngsters and younger folks from the affect of tobacco and nicotine. The laws stipulate that tobacco merchandise could solely be seen in specialty outlets equivalent to pipe or cigar outlets. In regular gross sales shops they need to be hidden both below the counter, in cabinets or behind curtains.
Torben Jensen, the Danish shopper ombudsman, describes it like this:
“The full ban on the promoting of tobacco merchandise was enacted to ship a transparent sign: the consumption of such merchandise is dangerous to well being and younger folks specifically ought to be shielded from them.”
Violations on the cabinets of the Salling Group
However the actuality seems totally different. Investigations by the buyer ombudsman have proven that tobacco merchandise had been inadequately hid in a number of Salling Group branches.
In keeping with the report, curtains that had been speculated to obscure the sight view had been pulled again for a very long time in a minimum of 15 circumstances. A violation that not solely goes towards the laws, but in addition towards the intention of the legislature.
The case started in early 2024 with a criticism to the Danish Safety Expertise Authority, which forwarded the tip to the buyer ombudsman. After an investigation, violations had been present in 5 cities. Additional circumstances from a sixth metropolis had been added – a complete of 15 documented rule violations, based on the ombudsman Press launch.
That's what the legislation says
The Tobacco Promoting Act (§5a) at the side of Implementing Regulation No. 570 of 2021 requires retailers to utterly disguise tobacco merchandise from the general public eye. They could solely be proven on the categorical request of a buyer.
Violating these laws will not be a trivial offense, explains Jensen:
“The Salling Group has didn’t take the mandatory measures to take away all tobacco merchandise from prospects’ sight. That’s why we had been compelled to report it to the police.”
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