Walgreens and Kroger both announced that they would stop selling e-cigarettes.
Walgreens, the nation’s largest drugstore chain with 9,560 stores across the U.S., will stop selling e-cigarettes permanently.
“We have made the decision to stop selling e-cigarette products at our stores nationwide as the CDC, FDA and other health officials continue to examine the issue. This decision is also reflective of developing regulations in a growing number of states and municipalities,” Walgreens said.
The company has not announced a timeline for the phaseout.
CVS Pharmacy, Walgreens’ direct competitor, has never sold e-cigarettes.
Kroger said it “is discontinuing the sale of electronic nicotine delivery products, or e-cigarettes, at all store and fuel center locations due to the mounting questions and increasingly complex regulatory environment associated with these products.”
The company added that it would “exit this category after selling through its current inventory.”
Kroger, which also owns Harris Teeter, Ralphs, Fred Meyer and other store brands, operates more than 2,700 retail stores.
The announcements come more than two weeks after Walmart announced it will stop selling e-cigarettes in all of its stores. Rite Aid made the same deacon earlier in this year.
New York, Michigan, Rhode Island and Washington are among the states that have announced at least temporary bans on flavored e-cigarettes. Massachusetts has issued a four-month ban on all vaping products.
In addition, the federal government is also considering increased regulatory requirements and a ban on vaping flavors.
