SUPERMARKET chain Sainsbury's is to stop selling cigarettes today at six of its stores in Scotland.
The move will extend a trial launched in May at three supermarkets and one convenience store and was made after a new health levy introduced by the Scottish Government in April.
The company will stop the sale of cigarettes in stores in Drumchapel, Garthdee, Hamilton, Saltcoats, Livingston and Leven from this morning.
A report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), commissioned by Asda, claimed profits from Scottish supermarkets could be reduced by 10% following the introduction of the levy.
Yesterday, Tesco and Morrisons said they had no plans to follow Sainsbury's.
The new business rates apply to large retailers that sell tobacco and alcohol and go towards tackling the costs of problems associated with these two types of product.
A spokesperson for Sainsbury's said: "The impact of the levy introduced by the Scottish Government has led us to undertake a review of the sale of tobacco in our Scottish stores."
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "The public health supplement was introduced in recognition of Scotland's well-documented health and social problems associated with alcohol and tobacco use.
"This Government is already taking action to reduce alcohol- and tobacco-related harm through legislation to introduce minimum pricing for alcohol and banning tobacco displays."
Meanwhile, the legal challenge by Imperial Tobacco to legislation to ban unstaffed tobacco vending machines and open tobacco displays in shops will begin today at the Court of Session.
Despite the ban having been overwhelmingly passed in the Scottish Parliament and twice upheld by Scottish courts, Imperial Tobacco brought its legal challenge on the basis that the Scottish Parliament does not have the right to legislate on the sale of goods in Scotland.
Legislation on retail tobacco displays for large retailers was introduced in England in April earlier this year. Legislation for Northern Ireland came in to force at the end of last month and is due to come into force in Wales on December 3.
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