Hoping to pick up your pack of ciggies while doing the food shop? Well, if your local is Lidl, it’s no longer possible. The supermarket chain has immediately stopped selling cigarettes in its stores.
Lidl is the first of many. As part of the 2018 National Prevention Agreement, all Dutch supermarkets agreed to ditch the cigarettes by 2024.
This is all part of the Dutch campaign “Towards a smoke-free generation” — an initiative that hopes to create a generation of young people in the Netherlands who never smoke.
10 points to Lidl!
While most Dutch supermarkets will keep cigarettes on the shelves for the time being, Lidl acted on the upcoming goal as soon as it was announced in 2018.
Cigarettes were never stocked in any new stores that cropped up in the Netherlands — and as of now, they will be removed from the old too.
Speaking to the NOS, a spokesperson explains that ‘All branches that we have opened in recent years were immediately smoke-free. The phasing out in the other branches went well and this gave us the opportunity to realise our ambition to stop selling cigarettes and tobacco even earlier.’ Good job guys. 💪
What are your thoughts on this step by Lidl? Tell us in the comments below!
Feature Image: 5seconds/Depositphotos