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Kroger, Walgreens to end sales of e-cigarette products

Supermarket giant cites “mounting questions” about vaping use, regulation

Russell Redman

October 7, 2019

2 Min Read
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The Kroger Co.

The Kroger Co. and Walgreens have become the latest retailers to exit the market for electronic cigarettes.

In a statement on Monday, Kroger said it will phase out the e-cigarette category across its family of retail brands by selling off its current stock of products. The Cincinnati-based company provided no further details on the plan.

The nation’s largest supermarket operator, Kroger operates 2,759 stores under more than 20 banners.

“Kroger is discontinuing the sale of electronic nicotine delivery products, or e-cigarettes, at all store and fuel center locations due to the mounting questions and increasingly complex regulatory environment associated with these products,” a Kroger spokesperson stated. “The company will exit this category after selling through its current inventory.”

Also on Monday, Walgreens announced that it plans to end sales of e-cigarette products. The Deerfield, Ill.-based retailer, the nation's second-largest drug chain with nearly 9,600 stores, didn't give a timetable for phasing out the products.

"We have made the decision to stop selling e-cigarette products at our stores nationwide as the CDC, FDA and other health officials continue to examine the issue," Walgreens said in a statement. "This decision is also reflective of developing regulations in a growing number of states and municipalities."

Related:Tobacco sales to end at Schnucks

Kroger’s and Walgreens' announcements come about two weeks after Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart said it planned to end e-cigarette product sales at its Walmart and Sam’s Club stores after currently inventory was sold.

Other food, drug and mass retailers that recently said they would stop selling e-cigarette products, or had already pulled the items from their stores, include Rite Aid, Dollar General, ShopRite and Costco Wholesale.

Like Walmart, Kroger and Walgreens cited health concerns and the changing regulatory climate for e-cigarettes. Restrictions and or bans — notably against flavored vaping products that may attract minors — are being considered or under way at the local, state and federal levels.

The backlash against e-cigarettes continues to escalate as health authorities report more cases of illness and death connected to the products. Through Oct. 1, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention said it has fielded reports of 1,080 lung injury cases linked to use of e-cigarette products in 48 states and one U.S. territory, and 18 deaths have been confirmed in 15 states.

CDC noted that most patients report a history of using vaping products with THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, and that the latest national and regional findings indicate that THC-containing products play a role in the incidence of illness. Of the reported cases, 16% of patients are younger than 18 and 21% are 18 to 20 years old, the agency said.

Related:All Walmart stores now require tobacco buyers to be 21

*Editor's Note: Article updated to include statement from Walgreens.

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About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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