From the Gannett News Service:

Wegmans Food Markets Inc. will stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products beginning Feb. 10, spokeswoman Jo Natale said this morning.

Until that date, only remaining inventory will be available for sale and no new product will be ordered, she said.

In a letter to employees dated Jan. 7, Wegmans Chief Executive Officer Danny Wegman and his daughter, President Colleen Wegman, said the company decided to stop selling tobacco products mainly because Wegmans cares about its employees.

A smoking cessation program will be offered to employees this year, according to the letter.

“For those of you who smoke, we know it is very difficult to stop,” the letter says.

In a news release issued this morning, Danny Wegman said the company respects a person’s right to smoke.

“But we also understand the destructive role smoking plays in health,” he said.

Tobacco is a very profitable category for Wegmans, Natale said, but did not provide specific numbers.

We commend our own Wegmans for pursuing what is right versus what is profitable. It is the right thing to do.

The Buffalo News has a more fleshed out article>>