COVID-19 a boon for c-store tobacco sales
With stay-at-home measures in place across the country, c-stores are experiencing an unprecedented spike in tobacco sales, in part because First Nations reserves (and their popular smoke shacks) are largely closed to outside visitors Dave Bryans, CEO of the Ontario Convenience Stores Association, estimates that the legal tobacco business is on track to grow by 20-25% while the reserves stay closed and he'd like to see c-stores to hold on to that business once the restrictions are lifted.