Supermarket chain to end tobacco sales.

[Bob Hubbard]

This is big news here.

(January 4, 2008) — Wegmans Food Markets Inc. will stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products beginning Feb. 10, spokeswoman Jo Natale said this morning.

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080104/NEWS01/80104009/1002/NEWS

Officials announced Friday that the Rochester-based chain will no longer sell cigarettes or other tobacco-related products, effective Feb. 10. Until then, it only will sell in-stock tobacco products.

http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2007/12/31/daily31.html


Who's Wegmans?
From their website: http://www.wegmans.com/about/pressRoom/overview.asp

Ranked #3 on FORTUNE magazine's 2007 list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. Wegmans has been on the list every year since it began in 1998, and in 2005, ranked #1.

• 2006 annual sales of $4.1 Billion
• 34th on the 2007 Supermarket News list of the Top 75 Supermarkets based on sales volume.
• On Forbes' annual list of the "Largest Private Companies in the U.S."
• Wegmans operates 71 stores: 49 in New York State, 12 in Pennsylvania, 7 in New Jersey, 2 in Virginia and one in Maryland.
• Wegmans employs over 36,000 people.

 

[MJS]

Well, at least they're considering the well being of everyone. I doubt that it'll effect business in any way.

 

[tellner]

I'd be interested to see how the numbers fall out on this as a business decision. How much will they be losing? Are they hoping to get more business by doing this? Will they still sell alcohol?

 

[MA-Caver]

Fine by me... don't have them in my area/state (that I know of) and I don't buy my cigarettes at a supermarket anyway... inflated prices.

 

[Doc_Jude]

Will they still sell alcohol?

Ha! Good question.

 

[MJS]

Looking at the '06 annual sales, I really don't think that this will hurt them too bad. I mean, I think it'd be different if it was a liquor store or small convenience store, but a large chain...probably not.

I'll use this as an example. A while back here in CT., the law was passed that allowed liquor stores to stay open until 9pm. There was a time when 8pm was the cut off for liquor sales. This applied to every business that sold. So, some stores adopted the new hours and some continued to close as 8. Those stores that close at 8, while they may have suffered a small loss, are still in business.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

AFAIK they'll still continue to sell booze, and I -think- I read that tobacco was less than 2% of their income. What it'll do is push more of those sales to the gas stations and convenience stores (where the sales are often 50% of their income)

 

[Bob Hubbard]

One side note, the company really is one of the best places to work. We have 2 big chains here, Wegmans and Tops. Tops regularly scores in the worst catagory, and I can verify that from past experience. They sucked. I can't say anything bad about Wegmans. They've got excellent quality food, a health section to rival a dedicated health food store, imports from all over the world, etc. The great majority of folks there seem to be in good spirits whenever I'm there. When I was in Cleveland for a year, I really missed Wegmans.

 

[Xue Sheng]

When I was in Cleveland for a year, I really missed Wegmans.

I was in Wegmans once and only once about 4 years ago in Syracuse and it STILL beats anything we have in my area or any other are in the US I have been.

 

[tellner]

Bob, when did you stop playing Klin-za and turn into a giant desert worm?

 

[Jade Tigress]

I think it's a good thing. To my knowledge, Target Stores have never sold tobacco products.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Bob, when did you stop playing Klin-za and turn into a giant desert worm?

About a month or so ago. Ran a contest to see if folks coul decode the message.
No one could.



The irony of the whole thing is, their main competator has a rather large tobacco zone, about the size of a small the stuff. The Walmarts here recently also expanded their zones.

 

[Brother John]

AFAIK they'll still continue to sell booze, and I -think- I read that tobacco was less than 2% of their income. What it'll do is push more of those sales to the gas stations and convenience stores (where the sales are often 50% of their income)

That's pretty much what I was thinking.
MOST people that smoke (that I know of) purchase their stuff when they purchase their gas.

I smoke, but only a pipe. I CAN buy some stuff at the little quickie mart on the corner, but there's a tobbacanist in town that I can get too...
actually, I prefer to order my tobbacco online.
Even then, I smoke it SO infrequently, and in such small amounts....
I hardly EVER need to buy very much. If I get more, it's just to get a variety.

Your Brother
John

 

[Obliquity]

They ought to replace it with a nice walk-in humidor and fine cigars.