Kilmarnock businessman takes smoke fight to the top

Jul 2 2008 By Colin Rutherford

A KILMARNOCK businessman is taking on the Scottish government over its proposals to ban tobacco displays.

Marco Sinforiani — a partner in West George Street newsagents Sinforiani Brothers — has fired off a detailed and scathing response to the government’s smoking prevention working group’s report ‘Towards a Future Without Tobacco’.

In a letter to MSP Willie Coffey, also distributed to senior politicians including MP Des Browne, Mr Sinforiani claims that the report’s recommendations would damage his business and “set a dangerous precedent”.

The working group proposes a ban on tobacco displays and advertising and other measures including the outlawing of packets of 10 cigarettes and a tobacco licensing scheme.

Mr Sinforiani, himself an SNP voter, is outraged at the Nationalist-led Holyrood administration’s plans.

He said: “Such a ban would have a disproportionate effect on mine and other small businesses, which incidentally the SNP promised to protect in their election manifesto and was one of the reasons I myself voted SNP.”

The shopkeeper argues that as an independent retailer, he can only compete against the supermarkets and other big businesses by specialising.

“The gantry in our own shop principally displays other specialist products including cigars, hand-made cigars and pipe tobacco, which should never be correlated with cigarettes,” he said.

Mr Sinforiani attacks the whole concept of banning tobacco displays as “flawed on a number of levels”.

And he is dismissive of government claims that a ban on displays will help dissuade young people from smoking.

“There is a strong chance that it may only add to the allure of tobacco by giving it the cachet of an underground product,” he said.

“Over the last 20 years use of illegal drugs has rocketed without any advertising or product display.

“Why shouldn’t the same thing happen with tobacco?”

He said that, in his experience, young people were not attracted by the most prominently displayed products.

“In our own shop it is far easier to see, from the public side of the counter, products such as Erinmore Plug, Sunset Breeze and Sweet Killarney, than it is to see Benson & Hedges or Lambert & Butler,” said Mr Sinforiani.

“If the tobacco gantry is such a big influence on young people, then why do they never ask for them.”

He claimed that a ban on packets of 10 would merely hit adults trying to manage their spending and consumption.

“We often hear consumers say, ‘If I buy 20, I smoke 20.

“That’s why I buy 10’,” he said.

And he argues that the working group report ignores more positive opportunities to combat smoking.

Mr Sinforiani suggests the introduction of resale price maintenance, in operation in some other European countries.

He said: “Prices are pegged at a certain level for every outlet in the country, meaning that price-cutting is outlawed.

“Another useful proposal,” he suggests, would be to ban companies from on-pack price marking.”

Mr Sinforiani also takes a potshot at the MSPs’ own pension funds which includes investments in tobacco companies.

In his letter to Mr Coffey, he states: “If the Scottish government really does envisage a future without tobacco, I respectfully suggest that you stop making money from shares in tobacco companies.”

Mr Sinforiani said this week that his letter had already attracted some response.

He has been invited to meet Kilmarnock and Loudoun MP Des Browne to discuss his concerns.

“I thought that, as he is obviously busy as defence secretary, I might just get an acknowledgement from his office, but I’m very pleased at the response,” he said.