Japan's Top Drugstore Chain Phasing Out Cigarette Sales

Japan's largest drugstore chain, Welcia Holdings Co., is phasing out cigarette sales at its outlets and plans to start helping people quit smoking from February next year, as reported by Yuko Shimada for Mainichi Japan.

Welcia plans to stop cigarette sales at 422 stores from March 2023 to February 2024, 1,155 shops from March 2024 to February 2025, and 303 outlets from March 2025 to February 2026. I Photo: Corpse Reviver Wiki Commons

Welcia declared in March that it would end cigarette sales in all of its stores by the end of February 2026. On October 4, it announced that it had stopped selling cigarettes at 262 outlets as of the end of September.

Welcia was selling cigarettes at 1,880 stores, which accounted for about 70% of its roughly 2,800 shops in Japan.

However, the company has decided to stop the practice because it judged that selling cigarettes is contrary to its corporate philosophy of "promoting healthy lifestyles."

According to Welcia's announcement, it plans to stop cigarette sales at 422 stores from March 2023 to February 2024, 1,155 shops from March 2024 to February 2025, and 303 outlets from March 2025 to February 2026.

Cigarettes accounted for 2% of Welcia's total revenue in 2022. Although sales could decline if the company stops selling smokes, a representative confidently said, "We can compensate for this by expanding the lineup of food and health care products."

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