CVS announced this morning they will stop selling tobacco by October of this year.
“Ending the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products at CVS/pharmacy is the right thing for us to do for our customers and our company to help people on their path to better health,” said Larry J. Merlo, President and CEO, CVS Caremark. “Put simply, the sale of tobacco products is inconsistent with our purpose.”
This is the right thing to do correct? So, why is this such big news? CVS management warned that it will lose around $2 billion in annual revenues from this decision. Tobacco is a big profitable business in America.
In addition to removing cigarettes and tobacco products for sale, CVS will undertake a robust national smoking cessation program this Spring. The program will include information and treatments on quitting smoking at CVS/pharmacy and MinuteClinic along with online resources.
I applaud CVS for taking this bold step in the right direction. What do you think? Will this be a new trend in America?
I love that it is the younger generation that started the anti-cigarettes movement. Hopefully, one day they will only be referred to as a thing of the past. It would be cool if their competitors, like Walgreens, would do the same thing.