Tobacconist

Modern-day tobacco shop sign (Tabaktrafik) in Vienna, Austria.
19th century cigar store figures from Mercer Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.
Tobacco shop in Neuchâtel, Switzerland in 2020: advertisement is authorized inside the shop

A tobacconist, also called a tobacco shop, a tobacconist's shop or a smoke shop, is a retail business that sells tobacco products in various forms and the related accoutrements, such as pipes, lighters, matches, pipe cleaners, and pipe tampers. More specialized retailers might sell ashtrays, humidification devices, hygrometers, humidors, cigar cutters, and more. Books and magazines, especially ones related to tobacco are commonly offered. Items irrelevant to tobacco such as puzzles, games, figurines, hip flasks, walking sticks, and confectionery are sometimes sold.

In the United States, a tobacconist shop was traditionally represented by a wooden Indian positioned nearby. Most retailers of tobacco sell other types of product; today supermarkets, in many countries with a special counter, are usually the main sellers of the common brands of cigarette.

In the United Kingdom, a common combination in small corner shops has been a newsagent selling newspapers and magazines, as well as confectionery and tobacco. In UK marketing and retailing this sector is referred to as "CONTOB" ("confectionery and tobacco").[1]

A Tabac or Tabaccheria is a shop licensed to sell tobacco products in France, Spain and Italy. Tabacs also sell newspapers, telephone cards, postage stamps and multi-journey bus tickets.[2]

  1. ^ Yadin, Daniel, The International Dictionary of Marketing, p.58, 2002, Kogan Page, ISBN 0749435321 (not entirely accurate; the hyphen is not usual)
  2. ^ "Why the tabac is essential to life in France – even if you don't smoke". The Local France. 15 April 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022.