“The development of the parallel market continues, worsens and has a lasting impact on our activity,” notes Odile Le Ny, president of the confederation of tobacconists of Côtes-d'Armor. Monday, November 25, in the presence of Philippe Coy, national president of the confederation, 380 Costa Rican tobacconists gathered in Plédran (22) to attend their annual general meeting.
Significant seizures in 2024
In addition to the transformation and diversification of their activities, search for opportunities or insecurity, the subject of tobacco smuggling was at the heart of the discussions. A 2021 parliamentary report put the share of tobacco consumption through illegal channels in France at 30%. A significant parallel market, as evidenced by these recent seizures: 27 tonnes on national territory in the space of a week, thanks to Operation Colbert II; in April 2024, 100 kg intercepted by the Saint-Brieuc customs brigade on the RN12; a month later, Côtes-d'Armor police and gendarmes dismantled a vast smuggling network and got their hands on 300 kg of tobacco.
As a direct consequence of the traffic, “in Côtes-d’Armor, between January and October 2024, we recorded a drop of 7.2% in the volume of tobacco delivered within our network compared to the same period the previous year” , reveals Odile Le Ny.
Significant declines in turnover
According to the parliamentary report, for a tobacco press, the average tobacco turnover varies between 50 and 80% of the total turnover, and between 30 and 60% for a tobacco bar. A significant share of revenue for tobacconists, some of whom, in Côtes-d'Armor, have recorded “significant drops in their turnover since the reopening of post-covid borders”, according to Odile Le Ny. A loss of revenue for the State as well, estimated at between 3 and 5 billion euros per year. The president, however, qualifies: “We note a dynamic around our network with a 10% increase in transactions in 2023 compared to 2022 in Côtes-d'Armor. »
Several factors explain the increase in tobacco trafficking. “The main reason remains the price of the pack of cigarettes,” assures the president. The most consumed package in France is €12.50. In some of our European neighbors, this price is divided by two, if not by three. »
Multiple means of sales
There are multiple networks between night grocery stores, street sales and the emergence of offers via social networks. This increase in seizures can also be explained by the increase in controls and operations by law enforcement.
As for the means of combating the parallel market, tobacconists are calling for “a fairer tax system”, in particular through “European harmonization”, and an increase in these large-scale operations. Prevention could also play a role, as tobacco sold illegally presents an increased health risk for the consumer, escaping “all regulation and control”.
France
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