CONFERENCE PROCEEDING
Trends in tobacco product retail availability between 2023-2025: A multi-city, longitudinal retailer assessment study
1
Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, USA
Tob. Prev. Cessation 2026;12(Supplement 1):A86
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND-AIM:
Examining changes in the retail availability of diverse tobacco product categories over time can offer insight into product popularity and the impact of local tobacco control policies. This study used 3 waves of data from tobacco retailer assessments in New York City (NYC), Philadelphia and San Francisco, USA to document trends in product availability in the context of local policy initiatives.
METHODS:
Stratified, random sampling was used to select a representative sample of licensed tobacco retailers (20% from each city district) in 2023 (n=1575), 2024 (n=1556) and 2025 (n=1300). Research staff visited each retailer in person and documented store type and the availability of cigarettes, cigars, traditional smokeless tobacco, oral nicotine pouches and nicotine vaping products. Descriptive statistics and bivariate tests examined changes over time across the full sample and by city.
RESULTS:
Data was obtained from 3935 retailers (88.8% success rate). The distribution of store types did not significantly differ between waves. Across all years, availability remained stable for cigarettes (range: 80.7-81.7%) and smokeless tobacco (range: 16.4-16.6%). Cigar availability decreased significantly between Waves 1-3 (54.2% to 42.9%, p<.0001), driven by large decreases in NYC (43.2% to 26.6%). Oral nicotine pouch availability significantly increased (28.7% to 39.8%, p<.0001), becoming more prevalent in NYC (31.6% to 44.9%) and Philadelphia (16.4% to 24.8%) between 2023-2025. While vaping product availability did not change in the overall sample (34.0% to 33.1%), these products became more prevalent in San Francisco (8.4% to 15.8%, p=0.09) between Waves 1-3.
CONCLUSIONS:
Availability of most product categories was relatively stable, but the increased prevalence of oral nicotine pouches supports data on their rising popularity. City-level policies may explain other notable trends. For example, NYC’s substantial increase on minimum cigar prices in 2018 may discourage retailers from carrying these products over time. While San Francisco effectively banned sales of all vaping products in 2019, the growing number of US Food and Drug Administration marketing orders for e-cigarettes may have contributed to a slight rebound in vaping product availability, as these “authorized” products are permitted to be sold in the city.
Examining changes in the retail availability of diverse tobacco product categories over time can offer insight into product popularity and the impact of local tobacco control policies. This study used 3 waves of data from tobacco retailer assessments in New York City (NYC), Philadelphia and San Francisco, USA to document trends in product availability in the context of local policy initiatives.
METHODS:
Stratified, random sampling was used to select a representative sample of licensed tobacco retailers (20% from each city district) in 2023 (n=1575), 2024 (n=1556) and 2025 (n=1300). Research staff visited each retailer in person and documented store type and the availability of cigarettes, cigars, traditional smokeless tobacco, oral nicotine pouches and nicotine vaping products. Descriptive statistics and bivariate tests examined changes over time across the full sample and by city.
RESULTS:
Data was obtained from 3935 retailers (88.8% success rate). The distribution of store types did not significantly differ between waves. Across all years, availability remained stable for cigarettes (range: 80.7-81.7%) and smokeless tobacco (range: 16.4-16.6%). Cigar availability decreased significantly between Waves 1-3 (54.2% to 42.9%, p<.0001), driven by large decreases in NYC (43.2% to 26.6%). Oral nicotine pouch availability significantly increased (28.7% to 39.8%, p<.0001), becoming more prevalent in NYC (31.6% to 44.9%) and Philadelphia (16.4% to 24.8%) between 2023-2025. While vaping product availability did not change in the overall sample (34.0% to 33.1%), these products became more prevalent in San Francisco (8.4% to 15.8%, p=0.09) between Waves 1-3.
CONCLUSIONS:
Availability of most product categories was relatively stable, but the increased prevalence of oral nicotine pouches supports data on their rising popularity. City-level policies may explain other notable trends. For example, NYC’s substantial increase on minimum cigar prices in 2018 may discourage retailers from carrying these products over time. While San Francisco effectively banned sales of all vaping products in 2019, the growing number of US Food and Drug Administration marketing orders for e-cigarettes may have contributed to a slight rebound in vaping product availability, as these “authorized” products are permitted to be sold in the city.
| eISSN: | 2459-3087 |
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