CVS Snuffs Tobacco Sales Ahead of Schedule

CVS/pharmacy stopped selling cigarettes and tobacco products as of Sept. 3, becoming the first national pharmacy chain to take this step.The retailer had announced in February that it would halt tobacco sales at its 7,700 pharmacy stores, and quit cold turkey nearly a month ahead of the previously targeted date of Oct. 1.Concurrently, parent company CVS Caremark Corp. changed its name to CVS Health in order to better reflect its broader commitment to health care. “Along with the start of CVS Health, the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products at CVS/pharmacy ends today,” president and CEO of CVS Health Larry Merlo said in a statement. “By eliminating cigarettes and tobacco products from sale in our stores, we can make a difference in the health of all Americans.”CVS Health includes the retail business CVS/pharmacy; a pharmacy benefit management business called CVS/caremark, with nearly 65 million plan members; 900 walk-in medical clinics referred to as CVS/minuteclinics; and an expanding specialty pharmacy services provider called CVS/specialty.The Woonsocket, RI-based company has been spreading word of its ban on tobacco sales and corporate name change with banner ads on websites such as cnn.com and theatlantic.com, stating that “We Quit Selling Tobacco at CVS/Pharmacy.” CVS customers received an opt-in email that confirmed “Today We Are Tobacco Free,” while circular features have included messages such as “CVS Quits for Good,” “Let’s Quit Together” and “CVS Health: Where Health is Everything.”On cvs.com, banner ads link to personal stories about quitting smoking, details on a hotline operated by the American Cancer Society, video statements from corporate leaders, infographics and links to the official press release. Additional announcements were made on Twitter, Pinterest and the CVS Facebook page, which also included reaction from customers.CVS Health has been replacing its corporate signage in office locations throughout the U.S. to reflect the name change. In Manhattan, the two announcements were made simultaneously with the help of a digital billboard showcasing the CVS Health logo and a giant inflatable exhibit of a cigarette being extinguished in an ashtray, both carrying the message “Cigarettes Out. Health In.”Inside CVS/pharmacy stores, tobacco products that used to be merchandised near checkout have been replaced with smoking cessation aids such as nicotine replacement gums, lozenges and patches as well as medicines including Pfizer Inc.’s Chantix and GlaxoSmithKline’s Zyban. Some products also earn secondary merchandising space on an endcap display. Take-one pamphlets extol the benefits of quitting tobacco, and an array of signage and displays including framed signs, table displays and standees deliver encouraging messages such as “Never Quit Quitting,” “You’re Not Alone,” “Thinking About Quitting?” and “We’re Here to Help.”True to its word, CVS Health has launched its own comprehensive smoking cessation program that combines the efforts of CVS/pharmacy, CVS/minuteclinic and CVS/caremark and incorporates a #OneGoodReason social media campaign inviting customers to share why they want to quit smoking. The program includes an assessment of the smoker’s readiness to quit, education, medication and coaching.“Health is everything for our patients and customers, and CVS Health is changing the way health care is delivered to increase access, lower costs and improve quality,” Merlo said in a media release. “Consumers are increasingly taking control of their own health and, through our 26,000 pharmacists and nurse practitioners, we are helping people on their path to better health.”

CVS Snuffs Tobacco Sales Ahead of Schedule

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