Tobacco.org

• Tobacco display ban looms in Norway; Nordic Travel Retail Group focuses on challenge to a key category 

A ban on tobacco display in Norwegian duty free could be in force by October this year, if, as expected, new tobacco legislation is voted into law by the country's Parliament. The planned new legislation was one of the key issues discussed this week at the latest meeting of the Nordic Travel Retail Group, which represents the interests of concessionaires, brand owners, airports, airlines and ferry operators in the Nordic region. . . .

Norwegian travel retail is likely to have to implement a model similar to that in place in another Nordic state, Iceland. Retailers would have to create a stand-alone room in their stores for tobacco, with frosted, not clear glass, so customers could not see inside. No advertising would be permitted.

Nordic Travel Retail Group Chairman Erik Thomsen told The Moodie Report: "Both Travel Retail Norway and the Nordic Travel Retail Group have made representations on this issue to decision-makers, but there is no chance of an exemption for duty free. . . .

Last week's meeting also heard from JTI Corporate Affairs & Communication Worldwide Duty Free Santiago Llair�. He said the industry needed to coordinate its response to challenges such as display bans, and highlighted other issues, such as labelling, that could affect the business.

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