Store NewsWednesday 01 February, 2012 |
 Dutch carrier KLM to resume inflight sales of liquor and tobacco NETHERLANDS. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is to resume inflight duty free sales of liquor and tobacco on board its flights from 1 February. The airline said the move was in response to consumer demand. The carrier de-listed liquor products in 1984, and tobacco in 1986, and has not featured either category in its inflight range since then.“KLM constantly adapts its sales assortment on board to the wishes of its passengers,” said Paul Elich, Executive Vice President of KLM Inflight Services. “By buying alcohol and cigarettes on board, passengers no longer have to carry heavy bags around the airport. It makes no difference to the weight on board.” The assortment will be limited to begin with, featuring spirits brands Courvoisier XO Cognac and Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch whisky. The bottles will be delivered on board in sealed plastic bags, said KLM. The cigarettes in the assortment are Marlboro Red and Marlboro Gold. KLM’s web shop will also offer a broader assortment, which passengers can order online and then pick up on board. The liquor & tobacco items will only be available on intercontinental routes and not on intra-EU routes. Speaking later to The Moodie Report, Director Inflight Sales Koos Kruijswijk said: "KLM (through KLM Tax Free Services) used to sell these categories in its airport shops at Schiphol, so we were serving the passenger need on the ground until 2007, when Schiphol Group took over that business. We have since seen passenger demand grow. And since the introduction of our web shop liquor and tobacco have been among the most searched-for products. That prompted us to re-introduce the products." Kruijswijk said it was "difficult to judge" how much incremental revenue the new items would add to the offer, but said: "We are confident there will be an increase in sales. We may increase the range later but it depends on the results. We have two leading cigarette lines and two premium liquor products for now." Roll and Go Tobacco fighting 'cigarette' tax status GAYLORD — Roll & Go Tobacco in Gaylord will continue operating its automated cigarette-filling machine until a May hearing determines whether or not such businesses should be taxed as cigarette manufacturers. At the center of the debate is the RYO (roll your own) Filling Station, a refrigerator-size machine which fills filtered cigarette tubes with loose tobacco. The machine’s manufacturer advertises that it is able to fill 200 cigarettes in eight minutes. Customers purchase loose tobacco and hollow filtered cigarette tubes from Roll & Go, place those materials in the machine and wait as the machine loads each tube with about a gram of tobacco, spitting them out one by one. Pressing the legal action are federal and state treasury departments that say those who provide and use this service are circumventing cigarette tax laws. Taxes on premade, packaged cigarettes are significantly higher than those put on loose “roll your own” tobacco and pipe tobacco. McKinney shop offers healthier cigarette alternative A lingering stench, frequent treks outside, nagging friends -- smoking cigarettes is sometimes more embarrassing than relaxing. Unless you're smoking electronic cigarettes, through which the shame, smell, and potential for cancer nearly vaporize into thin air. Testament to the growing trend is The Vapor Bar, an electronic cigarette shop that opened January 9 in McKinney. Its wares include batteries, cheesecake-flavored nicotine, and "units" that trump pack-a-day costs by hundreds of dollars. E-cigarettes don't cut the craving, just the stigma. "I'm not saying that this is healthy, but you're getting rid of about 4,800 chemicals and going straight to nicotine," shop owner Schell Hammel said of e-cigarettes. "When you're talking about comparing this, apples to apples, with cigarettes, I'd much rather someone smokes this every day and twice on Sunday than smoke another cigarette." Without the "e" attached, the vapor units sound just like their Marlboro or Camel cousins. The addictive drug, nicotine, remains. What's left out of e-cigarettes are those chemicals -- arsenic, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide -- that make doctors cringe. Cigarette smoke indeed contains about 4,800 chemicals, 69 of which are known to cause cancer, according to a 2004 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report on tobacco use in the United States. "Smoking is directly responsible for approximately 90 percent of lung cancer deaths and approximately 80-90 percent of emphysema and chronic bronchitis deaths," the report says. Similar statistics have infiltrated school classrooms, health circles, and advertisements for many years, though, and people still smoke. For those like Hammel, a 22-year cigarette smoker, quitting isn't an easy option. Keeping the same habit, minus the carcinogens, is much less intimidating. "It's for those who want to get rid of the cancer-causing agents and go straight to something that's got the nicotine but not the rest," Hammel said. "And you don't have the second-hand smoke that is killing everyone around you." The Vapor Bar mostly sells high-quality, premium e-cigarettes -- Riva-T models -- along with more than 40 e-liquid flavors, including chocolate, blueberry cheesecake, and even tobacco flavor. Users squeeze the nicotine-containing liquid into the clearomizer, attach the battery, and they're ready to smoke. When they push a button on the pen-like unit, the battery fires a coil that burns the liquid, and propylene glycol, the same delivery system used in inhalers and nebulizers, causes it to vaporize. "It hits you in the back of the throat just like a cigarette would," Hammel said. But the vapor they blow out is mostly odorless, aside from the occasional cinnamon or peppermint smell. After trying an e-cigarette in October 2010, long before she opened the McKinney shop, Hammel put down regular cigarettes and hasn't touched them since. Her dad, a 40-year smoker, is now another e-cig enthusiast. Determined to stray from the cheaper e-cigs sold at mall kiosks, ones that Hammel said won't do the trick, she researched and tested more than 20 different e-cig units. The Vapor Bar sells her ultimate choice, the Riva-T, for about $100, including two chargeable batteries, the burner and an e-liquid capsule that typically lasts between 2-6 weeks, depending on the smoker. Hammel said that because the shop offers better quality, customers have already come from all over Collin County. Early on, e-cig users will treat their newfound contraption like a "pacifier," she said, constantly nursing it because it never goes out. After a while, though, they "lose that mentality of 'I need to smoke it all the way down.'" Her older sister, Wendii Roberts, manages The Vapor Bar. A 28-year smoker, Roberts quit regular cigarettes December 26. She's lost four pounds since the switch, and said she "doesn't miss them at all." "All of us have gone through one or the other methods trying to quit, and nothing has worked," Roberts said, referencing nicotine patches and Chantix, a medication commonly prescribed for those eager to quit smoking. "Every single thing I did, I gained weight, and when you're short and somebody says gain weight, you run." The sisters understand that smoking e-cigs isn't quitting, but they say it's better than the alternative. Three of their grandparents died from lung cancer, one who forced his way outside to smoke even while in the hospital for the disease. "This is a passion for me, that we can at least try to prevent others from going down that road," Hammel said. The chemicals are vacant, and The Vapor Bar can control how much nicotine is in the e-liquid, allowing customers to wean off of the addiction, too. First, though, is kicking the "nasty" parts of the habit. "It makes me feel good because I'm giving a product to someone that can actually better their life," Hammel said. "My goal is when people truly have it in their head that they want to go to electronic cigarettes, they will have no reason to go back." The Vapor Bar is located at 141 S. Central Expressway, near Virginia Parkway in McKinney. Customers can also purchase electronic cigarettes and kits online at http://www.newport-cigarettes.org . Shop loses licence over illegal tobacco AN OFF-LICENCE and newsagent which sold UK duty-free and counterfeit tobacco had its licence revoked by Swindon Council’s licensing committee yesterday. Tatras, in Victoria Road, Town Centre, was found to have the cigarettes and loose tobacco hidden in a cupboard and below confectionery on shelving. Trading Standards officers also seized £1,500 in cash in a paper bag under the counter, which they claim was linked to the sale of illegal products. Yesterday the licensing committee followed a recommendation to revoke the shop’s licence, meaning it will no longer be able to sell alcohol. The decision will take effect in 21 days, providing the premises licence holder, Shorish Hamid Mustafa, does not first appeal to magistrates, in which case there will be no change until the outcome of the case. Russell Sharland, of Trading Standards, said: “The licensing objective of preventing crime and disorder has been deliberately breached over an extended period. “This is aggravated by the sale of counterfeit product, rather than simply smuggled product, where there can be serious public health consequences. “Mr Mustafa ignored previous advice and guidance and chose to lie to officers both at the time of the inspection and during the interview under caution.” Ads by Google In an interview, Mr Mustafa said acquaintances had tried to persuade him for some time to sell illegal tobacco, but he had only decided to do so in the week before the inspection. He estimated that, overall, he had sold about £40 to £60 worth of illegal tobacco a day, charging as an example, £4 to £4.50 for 20 Marlboro cigarettes, instead of the genuine price of £7.19. He said the bag of cash was from normal shop takings and would be spent at the cash and carry. Mr Mustafa said: “I did a big mistake and I’m sorry.” Mr Mustafa said all his accounts were legitimate, adding that although he paid his staff cash, his accountant sorted out the appropriate tax and VAT. Coun Vera Tomlinson, chairman of the licensing panel, said the panel agreed there was evidence of the illegal sale of tobacco and poor management practices. News for Tuesday 31 January, 2012
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