Delay in cigarette sales

In the past week, cigarette shipments to monopolistic grocery stores and distributors have dropped sharply.

Speaking to Sozcu.com.tr, the president of Turkey’s Monopoly dealer platform, Özgür Aybaş, said that the shipment of most products continues on a very limited basis and some products are not shipped at all.

Saying, “This limited distribution started with one company, expanded to three companies,” Aybaş said, “Under normal conditions, we used to shop twice a week. If we buy 10 cartons of products, now they give us 2 cartons,” he said.

Aybaş stated that some monopolistic merchants started to put napkins on the empty cigarette racks due to the distribution problem.

SMOKING COMPANIES: BANDROL DID NOT GROW

A representative of a company with which we contacted said that the banner did not grow due to the high rate of shipments abroad, so there was a temporary contraction in shipments made to the domestic market.

However, according to the managers of the monopoly distributor platforms, another reason that is being talked about in the sector is that companies have to protect themselves because the price of cigarettes will increase in June.

‘THE COST INCREASE MAY COME IN JUNE’

Aybaş made the following assessment regarding the expected cost increase:

“There is talk of the possibility of a rise in cigarettes on June 5. According to the top officials of the companies, the next increase will reach 10 TL, but it is said that this will not be realized due to the reaction that will occur. However, although it is not certain, an increase can be made in the range of 3 TL to 5 TL.”