The news that the Government is now planning to ban the display of cigarettes in-store, whilst a natural progression from the plain packaging it has demanded, is further proof that they do not understand the dynamics at play here.

The introduction of plain packaging removes the ability of consumers to make an informed choice. The removal of the packages from sight altogether is, to be frank, ridiculous and is likely to cost the economy more than it saves.

Tobacco has been a consistent force in the UK economy over the past fifty years. Removing branding from the packaging and trying to remove the product from the public conscious could dramatically impact on our ability to export tobacco goods and, therefore, the economy.

In addition to cutting potential export revenues, the Government’s proposals could see UK retailers having to pay for custom made drawers to store cigarettes away from the public eye. This will see retailers incur huge costs and, for many of the smaller independent stores, potential loses that cannot be recovered elsewhere. Tobacconists may well disappear from the UK and yet, because of duty free, smoking levels could remain high.

The Government has clearly not done their homework. Putting products you are trying to defer attention from below the counter in bland packaging only serves to make them appear illicit and, therefore, more appealing. If you need a proof-point here, you only need to look at drug popularity; illegal drugs are never branded, or indeed packaged in many cases, and are not on display but they are still desired and seen as ‘cool’ by many young people.

The saying actions speak louder than words couldn’t be further from the truth here. If the Government continues to invest in educating consumers here, they would not need to take this extreme action. Isn’t it time the Government stopped thinking of restrictions to put in place and started spearheading the innovative thinking that will solve problems such as this?

SEE ALSO: The cigarette brand blackout