Introduction:
In the past few years, the government of the Netherlands has introduced measures to reduce the number of tobacco outlets. In 2022, tobacco vending machines were banned, and in 2023, online sales were banned. In July 2024, the government recently banned the sale of tobacco products from supermarkets. Together with these measures, the government substantially increased excise duties on tobacco products in 2023 and 2024.

Objectives:
With this annual study, we investigate which tobacco products and flavor accessories outlets offer, and identify trends in this offer. This allows us to monitor changes in the tobacco retail market and the introduction of new tobacco or nicotine products.

Methods:
In October 2022 and October 2023, we collected data in eight randomly selected municipalities in the Netherlands. We visited 63 and 69 tobacco outlets (i.e., supermarkets, petrol stations, newsagents, and specialist stores). We asked which tobacco products, nicotine products, and flavor accessories they offered.

Results:
Our results showed that tobacco products, nicotine products, and flavor accessories are widely available in retail outlets in the Netherlands. For example, heated tobacco products were offered in almost two-thirds of the outlets, even though these products are not frequently used in the Netherlands. Nicotine products (e.g., e-cigarettes) and flavor accessories were mostly offered in newsagents and specialist stores.

Conclusions:
The Dutch government will continue to introduce measures to discourage smoking. This periodic survey will examine subsequent changes in the availability of national tobacco products in the coming years.