PRICEWATCH Profit checker Tobacco accessories

Behind the numbers

As personal finances continue to be squeezed, the proportion of roll-your-own sales within total tobacco continues to climb. This means retailers need to get their pricing right on accompanying accessories. Where are the opportunities?

Swan Extra Slim Filter Tips 120pk is this week’s big outlier: 77% of retailers are selling it at above its most-common price of £1, with some going up to £1.50. Compare this to the same brand’s Menthol variety, with a mostcommon price of £1.20, that just 25% of retailers are charging above. There’s also an opportunity to push margins on Zig-Zag Cut Corners

50pk, which 61% of retailers are charging above its most-common price of 30p. Some are going as high as £1 – over three times the price.

Retailers can also reassess premium pricing – 33% are charging as much as £2.75 for OCB Premium Slim Papers & Tips 32pk, 76p higher than the most-common price set by 66%.

TOP PRODUCTS

Rizla King Size Silver 32pk

Rizla Green Medium Thin 50pk

Swan Menthol Extra Slim 120pk

Rolling tobacco has always been more cost-effective for customers, but with the cost-of-living crisis, sales have grown with people switching from cigarettes. We’ve always stocked a pretty good range of the necessary accessories – across the board there’s only about four or five flavours and they all have regular customers where we are. We’ve also got regulars from when the menthol ban kicked in, so people switched to flavour cards to compensate. If someone does smoke rolling tobacco, it’s a package purchase along with accessories.

Sue Nithyanandan

STORE Costcutter

Epsom

LOCATION Epsom, Surrey

SIZE 2,600sq ft

TYPE Residential

Rizla

Rizla

Rolling tobacco is definitely more popular and people are looking at lines like Benson Blue – that’s taken off at the cheaper end of the premium brands. I’m also finding that hardened smokers like a bigger pack now, people are being price-conscious. The 30g is still more popular, but we’re selling more of the 50g. Flavour cards are also big now, at about 25p each, and menthol tips are also popular. Some tobacco pouches now come with papers and filters. Amber Leaf is now in an all-in-one box with filters and tips, and Players has one as well.