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Initial Impact of Smoking Bans
July 2007
The first fortnight of smoking bans have seen a decline in sales from between
20% to 30% depending on location and clientele mix with the greatest impact on
blue collar CBD venues with no non-smoking options.
The decline cant be solely a result of the introduction of non-smoking but has
been magnified due to the extreme cold and rainy weather along with the last two
weeks being mid-year school holidays, so which factor had the greatest impact?
It is believed that the majority of the decline in trade as a result of
non-smoking has already been absorbed prior to 1 July and there will be a
gradual recovery in sales back to the 2006-2007 sales levels over the remainder
of the year as venues with non-smoking options have also felt the effects of the
pre-mentioned contraction in trade.
John Williams
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