Singapore: 7-Eleven Cineleisure Loses Tobacco Licence for good

Source from:  TODAYonline 09/30/2015

The 7-Eleven outlet at Cineleisure Orchard, a popular youth hangout where young smokers are not an uncommon sight, has lost its licence to sell tobacco for good, after one of its employees was caught selling tobacco products to minors under 18 for the second time.

Four other tobacco retailers who also sold tobacco to minors had their licences suspended by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) for six months.

The 7-Eleven employee who flouted the law at the store's Cineleisure Orchard outlet has been fired, while the franchisee for the outlet has been given a "stern warning", said a spokesperson for the Dairy Farm Group, which owns the 7-Eleven chain here.

Anyone caught selling tobacco to those under 18 may be fined up to S$5,000 for the first offence, and up to S$10,000 for the second or subsequent offence. The tobacco retail licence of the outlet will be suspended for six months for the first offence and permanently for the second offence. Retailers caught selling tobacco products to minors in school uniform or under the age of 12 will have their licence revoked after the first offence.

In the past three years, the HSA has suspended 39 tobacco retail licences and revoked 18.

In the case of the 7-Eleven outlet at Cineleisure Orchard, it first had its licence suspended for six months in 2011 for selling tobacco products to minors under 18.

Of the four retailers with suspended licences, an employee of Hwa Soon Heng Mini-Supermarket in Yishun was fined S$1,500.

Shopkeepers at Cineleisure or in the vicinity, which includes *SCAPE mall, say they often observe what appears to be underaged smokers outside the mall, based on the way they behave and dress.

Mr Lee Woon Chye, 18, who works part time at a store in *SCAPE, said he has even seen teenagers in school uniform smoking nearby.

Student Kelvin Soo, 19, said he is rarely asked to produce his identity card when buying cigarettes from the 7-Eleven at Cineleisure Orchard, while 14-year-old student Frederick Foo said: "Some (minors who smoke) get their cigarettes from their friends (who are) above (the age of) 18. Some also get them from their parents." Enditem