Belgian supermarkets to sell cigarettes again from 2027

Supermarkets in Belgium will be allowed to sell cigarettes again from 1 January 2027, after the government accepted a court ruling that overturned the current ban.

Since April 2025, shops larger than 400 square metres (including most supermarkets) have not been allowed to sell tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars or rolling papers. Smaller shops, like newsagents and night shops, were still allowed to sell them, but only if they were kept out of sight.

However, the Constitutional Court of Belgium ruled that this distinction between large and small shops was unfair and therefore illegal. The court gave the government until 2027 to change the law.

Health minister Frank Vandenbroucke has now decided not to introduce a new ban, meaning supermarkets can resume tobacco sales.

Tobacco products will still have to be kept out of sight in all shops.

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Retail group Buurtsuper.be welcomed the decision, saying the previous rules were inconsistent. But newsagents, who had benefited from reduced competition, criticised the change.

The move is seen as a setback for the government’s anti-smoking policy. However, ministers recently agreed on a separate measure to ban flavoured e-cigarettes from 2028, aimed at reducing smoking among young people.

^{© Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP}