20 minutes – Coop wants to get started in the e-cigarette

Coop plans to include electronic cigarettes and liquids containing nicotine in its assortment. A spokesman for the company confirms these projects at the SonntagsZeitung. Since April, liquids are allowed in Switzerland. This brings the big retailers on the plane.

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The kiosk operator Valora already has an ezigi offer. However, the company now wants to expand its product line, as the report states. Since June, Valora has been offering the range of the Swiss supplier Insmoke.

For businesses, e-cigarettes are an opportunity to offset the decline in tobacco sales in Switzerland, the paper continues. The alternative has great growth potential – currently, only 0.7% would smoke e-cigarettes a week, according to Addiction Monitoring Switzerland. In tobacco, it is about a quarter of the population

Swiss experts are critical

While electronic cigarettes are recommended as a healthier alternative to tobacco in some countries, like the UK, the experts are in Switzerland rather critical. Thomas Beutler of the Swiss Association for Smoking Prevention told the SonntagsZeitung that there are no significant long-term studies on health effects.

Another point of criticism is the target group of traders. Beutler is convinced that sweet flavors should also tempt young people, whether they already smoke or not. The industry claims, however, that it would only target cigarette smokers on electronic cigarettes.

Success depends on advertising

According to the report, the success of e-cigarettes in Switzerland depends on how much advertising companies are doing for products. In this respect, there are still no restrictions in Switzerland, as is the case for tobacco products.

Under the new Tobacco Products Act, e-cigarettes are treated as tobacco products. However, the law will not come into force until 2022. The questions regarding restrictions on advertising and the protection of minors are currently unclear: there is no age limit at all. for electronic cigarettes. Industry representatives and authorities are currently trying to hear about guidelines for youth protection and advertising.