Banning tobacco sales in supermarkets: an evaluation of compliance and tobacco availability near supermarkets in three Dutch cities

Introduction The Netherlands implemented a supermarket tobacco sales ban on 1 July 2024. This study aimed to evaluate supermarkets’ compliance with the ban and potential unintended impacts on tobacco availability at tobacco points of sale (POS) in areas around supermarkets. Methods A longitudinal pre–post study was conducted in three Dutch cities: Amsterdam, Haarlem and Zwolle. In total, 114 supermarkets and their surrounding area (200 m radius buffer) were included. Data were collected in 2021 (pre-ban) and 2025 (post-ban). The study examined (1) supermarkets’ compliance with the tobacco sales ban and (2) change in the number of alternative POS, presence of alternative POS (yes/no) and distance to the closest alternative POS within the buffer. Poisson, logistic and linear generalised estimating equations models were applied. Results All included supermarkets complied with the ban. The number of alternative POS within 200 m of supermarkets was significantly lower post-ban, with an average reduction of 31% (incidence rate ratio (IRR)=0.69, 95% CI 0.61 to 0.77, p