Why Have Tobacco Shops Doubled?

 

(Business Week) Smoking in the U.S. has been declining for decades, but retailers specializing in tobacco sales are booming. The number of tobacco shops in America doubled between 1998 and 2012, to more than 9,000, according to Census data.
That growth coincided with rising cigarette taxes, indoor smoking bans, and other policies aimed at snuffing out the habit. The share of Americans who smoke fell to 19 percent in 2011, from 23.5 percent in 1999, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Why are tobacconists thriving when the market for their products is shrinking? Continued