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Supermarket chain Stop & Shop says it will soon stop selling all cigarettes and tobacco products.

As part of a “commitment to community wellness,” the Ahold Delhaize-owned grocer said it will end tobacco sales by Aug. 31 at the 360 stores it owns and operates across New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and Connecticut.

The company announced the change in an Aug. 26 press release. Stop & Shop president Gordon Reid said, “Our responsibility … goes far beyond our aisles and we are committed to taking bold steps to help our associates, customers, and communities to work towards better health outcomes. From our team of registered dietitians that serve our customers at no cost to our trained and trusted pharmacy associates, Stop & Shop aims to support the health and well-being of the neighborhoods we serve – and this exit from tobacco is one more way we’re accomplishing that goal.”

Stop & Shop pointed to December 2020 data from the World Health Organization. According to WHO, about 780 million people globally want to quit smoking but only 30% say they have access to tools to help them do so.

Meanwhile, per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cigarette smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths annually across the country and more than 16 million Americans currently have a smoking-related disease.

A ‘step in the right direction’

Stop & Shop will also host cigarette buyback events Aug. 28 at two stores in Boston and Staten Island, N.Y. According to the chain, it selected those locations because they have higher rates of smoking and smoking-related health issues.

At both programs, the first 100 customers who bring in an unopened pack or carton of cigarettes to trade in will receive a Stop & Shop gift card. They’ll also get a bag filled with healthy snacks, mints, $10 off coupons for Nicorette from Warren-based consumer health care giant Haleon, and smoking cessation materials created in partnership with the American Cancer Society.

The American Cancer Society said it was “pleased to partner” with Stop & Shop to remove tobacco from stores.

Karen Knudsen, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, called it “a step in the right direction toward ending Big Tobacco’s influence on kids.”

She went on to say, “We know even more can be done to reduce the toll of tobacco in our communities. We urge state lawmakers to prioritize tobacco control program funding so that those inspired to quit by this effort have the resources they need to help them succeed.”

Stop & Shop is the latest retailer to stop selling tobacco products. Several other chains, including Walmart, CVS, Target and Wegmans, have all distanced themselves from smoking following pressure from public health advocates.

Headquartered in Quincy, Mass., Stop & Shop recently announced plans to close three dozen underperforming stores in the Northeast by November as part of a bid to strengthen the brand. In addition to 10 New Jersey locations, the chain expects to shutter eight stores in Massachusetts, seven stores in New York, five stores in Connecticut and two stores in Rhode Island.