Japan’s top drugstore chain phasing out cigarette sales, plans to help people quit
A cigarette shelf beside a checkout counter is seen in this photo provided by Welcia Holdings Co.
Japan’s largest drugstore chain Welcia Holdings Co. is phasing out cigarette sales at its outlets and is planning to start helping people quit smoking from February next year.
Welcia declared in March that it would end cigarette sales at all of its stores by the end of February 2026, and announced on Oct. 4 that it had stopped selling cigarettes at 262 outlets as of the end of September.
Welcia was selling cigarettes at 1,880 stores, or about 70% of its roughly 2,800 shops in Japan. However, the company has decided to stop the practice because it judged that selling cigarettes is contrary to its corporate philosophy of “promoting healthy lifestyles.”
According to Welcia’s announcement, it plans to stop cigarette sales at 422 stores from March 2023 to February 2024, 1,155 shops from March 2024 to February 2025, and 303 outlets from March 2025 to February 2026.
The checkout counter area after a cigarette shelf has been removed is seen in this photo provided by Welcia Holdings Co.
Cigarettes accounted for 2% of Welcia’s total revenue in 2022. Although sales could decline if the company stops selling smokes, a representative confidently said, “We can compensate for this by expanding the lineup of food and health care products.”
Among major drugstore chains in Japan, Sugi Yakkyoku, operated by Sugi Holdings Co., headquartered in the Aichi Prefecture city of Obu, does not sell cigarettes. Tokyo-based Tomod’s also stopped the practice at all its stores in 2017.
On the other hand, Tsuruha Drug, a subsidiary of Tsuruha Holdings Inc., will continue to sell cigarettes, with a representative saying, “We are creating stores that prioritize customer convenience.”
According to Japan Tobacco Inc., by business category, approximately 75% of cigarette sales in 2022 were at convenience stores, some 9% at tobacco retailers, and between 2% to 3% at drugstores.
