Media Releases

AACS Media Release - Tobacco display ban regulation a threat to Australian small business 10th November 2009

Convenience stores face costs of up to half a billion

The Australasian Association of Convenience Stores is calling for urgent review of the tobacco display ban legislation amid warnings that the new regulations will result in extensive job losses and closures of Australian small businesses.

A new independent report undertaken by Deloitte1 predicts that Australian convenience stores face costs of up to half a billion dollars to comply with the display bans; the equivalent of 15,000 jobs.

Giving weight to these predictions, identical legislation introduced in Canada saw 1,875 convenience stores closed in 2008. On top of this, there is no evidence from Canada, or any other country that has introduced display bans, that the strategy has worked to decrease smoking, particularly youth smoking.

Full media release in PDF format here 

AACS Media Release - Time to Stub Out Youth Smoking 10th November 2009

The Australasian Association of Convenience Stores is calling on the Federal Government to get serious about reducing youth smoking and make it illegal for under 18s to smoke.

Current legislation makes it illegal for retailers to sell tobacco to minors and heavy fines apply if they do, but the law contains no means to penalise young people for buying or smoking cigarettes.

AACS Executive Director, Sheryle Moon said that while education and awareness campaigns for young people are essential, until there is a real disincentive for kids to light up, we aren’t doing enough to reduce youth smoking.

“AACS is calling on our lawmakers to introduce prosecution and penalties for those who are caught in the act to show that they are serious about cutting youth smoking rates,” Ms Moon said.

Full media release in PDF format here 

AACS Media Release - State of Industry Report 23rd Sept 2009

Newly published research findings from the Australasian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) on the convenience store sector, collated at the conclusion of 2008, underlines the impact the recession has had on the Australian economy, with 40% of survey respondents saying the economic situation negatively impacted on their business (with 40% not committing either way). The sector was upbeat, however, with 100% of respondents expecting business to grow in 2009.

Full media release in PDF format here

Published by Newsmaker