Grocery chain joins others in ending cigarettes sales

(FOX BUSINESS) – If you want to buy a pack of cigarettes, you won’t find them at Stop & Shop. The grocer announced this week that it plans to stop selling cigarettes and tobacco products at all of its 360 stores across the Northeast by Aug. 31 “as a part of the brand’s commitment to community wellness.”

“From our team of registered dietitians that serve our customers at no cost to our trained and trusted pharmacy associates, Stop & Shop aims to support the health and well-being of the neighborhoods we serve — and this exit from tobacco is one more way we’re accomplishing that goal,” Stop & Shop President Gordon Reid said in a statement.

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American Cancer Society CEO Karen Knudsen said this move marks “a step in the right direction toward ending Big Tobacco’s influence on kids,” though she said there is even more that “can be done to reduce the toll of tobacco in our communities.”