The president of the national confederation of tobacconists, Philippe Coy, was traveling this Sunday, December 1, in Limoges. During the general meeting of tobacconists in Haute-Vienne, he called for a rebalancing of tobacco prices between European countries.
According to him, the successive increases in recent years in France will ultimately have only contributed to increasing traffic. Proof of this is… Covid-19. For him, the pandemic was like a revealer, at least an indicator of the parallel market which has gradually taken hold in France.
“During confinement, tobacco sales in France increased by 30%. I don’t think people were so depressed that they all started smoking,” Philippe Coy quips.
Beyond these individuals who go to obtain supplies in border countries (the package costs 7 euros less in Spain for example), the president is also worried about the growth of drug trafficking.
“In 2003, the parallel market represented 0.3% of consumption. Today, we are between 30 and 40%. Drug traffickers have launched into this lucrative business which provides less legal risk. Tobacconists throughout the country earn 2.3 billion in revenue. Criminal assets generated by tobacco are also estimated at 2 billion. Raising the price of cigarettes just increased trafficking. »
“The everyday drugstore of the French”
According to him, it is therefore necessary to rebalance prices between European countries and to take dissuasive sanctions.
Philippe Coy took advantage of his visit to Limoges to discuss the necessary adaptation of the profession to the market: “We are the daily drugstore of the French. We are transforming ourselves, we are rethinking our stores and we are bringing a range of new offers. We must be daring and innovative entrepreneurs. »
The challenge of this transformation seems to be working today. The population of tobacconists has become younger, going from 54 to 48 in 7 years.
120 establishments close each year, compared to 500 in the past. In 2024, 34 offices in France will even be created. Good news driven by innovations in terms of commercial propositions. The fact remains that in the field of innovation, traffickers are not left out. “The other day, a colleague received a package for a client. He was half disemboweled… The colleague saw packets of cigarettes bought abroad. The worst part is that we are the ones delivering it?! »
Franck Lagier
