The ‘Local Shop Report 2015’ from The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has shown a decline in the of sale tobacco from convenience stores in the last year. There has been a 1.2% drop, down from 20.0% in 2014 to 18.8% in 2015.

While this suggests that the nation as a whole is less reliant on tobacco, this measurement also includes the purchase of e-cigarettes. We believe e-cigarettes should be treated as a separate category in order to further distance them from tobacco, and aid in the accurate monitoring of sales.

However, alongside the drop in tobacco sales, there has also been a drop in the sale of fresh fruit and vegetables and an increase in the sale of alcohol. While this is not necessarily a clear measure of eating habits across the country, because this report does not include other purveyors such as market stalls and supermarkets, it is nonetheless a troubling trend.

Similarly, the 1% increase in the sale of alcohol in the last year, from 12.8% in 2014 up to 13.8% in 2015, is a concern. If this trend continues, it is further reason to push for minimum unit pricing on alcohol in order to tackle this growing problem.