NI retailers to get tobacco sales training
A proof-of-age compliance scheme for tobacco retailers is taking place in Northern Ireland.
The scheme, will see retailers ‘mystery shopped’ by 18 or 19-year-old test purchasers who will check if retailers are complying with the ‘No ID, No Sale!’ policy.
Stores identified as being ‘at risk’ will be offered free-of-charge, accredited training from former Trading Standards officers.
The initiative is part of the Responsible Tobacco Retailing (RTR) programme, an initiative launched in March 2015 by Japan Tobacco International, Philip Morris Limited, and Imperial Tobacco Limited, who collectively cover the majority of the UK tobacco market.
Some 90 NI retailers will be visited across the country under the initiative.
The programme follows successful schemes in the North West of England in 2014, the East of England, Yorkshire and Humberside, North East, East Midlands, West Midlands and Wales in 2015, and Scotland earlier in 2016.
It will be rolled out in the remaining areas of the UK over the coming years.
The first RTR annual report revealed a 19.6% improvement in ‘No ID, No Sale’ compliance performance among retailers during the first year of the programme.
Tony Allen, managing director of Under Age Sales, which specialises in helping retailers prevent tobacco sales to those below the legal purchase age, said of the new compliance scheme: “First and foremost, the purpose of the Responsible Tobacco Retailing programme is to reduce youth access to tobacco, an issue which all involved parties are in agreement must be tackled.
“We are by no means trying to catch retailers out with the test purchases; far from it – we simply want to identify those that may be at risk of selling tobacco to children and help them take the necessary steps to protect themselves.
“By empowering and enabling retailers to meet their obligations and become gatekeepers to stop under 18s accessing tobacco, we can all work together to raise standards across the board and make a real difference to communities across Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.”
Paul Baxter, chief executive of the National Federation of Retail Newsagents (NFRN), added: “NFRN members make every effort to retail responsibly but it’s not easy for shopkeepers to judge the ages of people coming into their stores, so making sure you stay within the law when it comes to underage sales is a constant challenge.
“We therefore welcome this new initiative, which forms part of the Responsible Tobacco Retailing programme, and would encourage any retailer who is identified as at risk to take advantage of the free of charge training.”
