Lidl to end tobacco sales in Denmark by end of 2028

The German discount grocery store chain Lidl's division in Denmark announced on Tuesday by the end of 2028 the stores in the Scandinavian country will end the sale of tobacco products.

According to Lidl Denmark this makes them the first grocery chain in the country to set such a deadline.

A fifth of their cigarette packs are already being taken from their shelves, the company said.

The first tobacco-free store will open in the northern town of Hjørring on Thursday, while all new shops won't sell tobacco from the outset, it said.

The initiative is an important step towards a smoke-free future, according to one of the initiators of the move, Lidl Denmark's deputy purchasing manager Khalil Jehya Taleb.

According to the Danish Cancer Society, in Denmark almost 16,000 people die every year as a result of smoking.

In the Netherlands, Lidl has already stopped selling tobacco products since the autumn of 2021. From 2024 onwards, Dutch supermarkets will generally no longer be allowed to sell cigarettes and other tobacco.