It was reported on September 20 that some districts in Hangzhou plan to reduce the distance between tobacco retail stores from 60 meters to 30 meters, with the regulation proposed to take effect on October 20.
On September 17, a licensed merchant in Jinjiang District reported that a proposed relaxation of spacing requirements between tobacco retail outlets could lead to new stores poaching customers and inventory backlogs. The local Tobacco Monopoly Bureau responded that the plan has not yet taken effect and that they will study the feedback and fulfill procedures such as public hearings.
On September 3, the Luding County government announced regulations setting the distance between tobacco retail outlets at 10 meters in both the old town and the new town, with total caps of 98 and 63 outlets respectively. The regulations take effect 30 days after publication.
As of reports on September 20, the distance between tobacco retail outlets in Hegang City, Heilongjiang Province, has been reduced from 50 meters to 20 meters.