Ramadan causes cigarette sales slump

Sales of cigarettes in Oman slumped during the first week of Ramadan, according to a story in the Oman Daily Observer.

Such a fall in sales will not have come as a surprise to retailers, however, since smoking in public during the daylight hours of Ramadan is a punishable offense in the country.

Buying patterns during the fasting month are also disrupted as many smokers rush to buy their cigarettes after breaking the fast toward the end of the day.

However, the newspaper reported that sales of high-end cigars and shisha tobacco were unaffected; in the case of cigars because the consumer base was different to that of cigarettes, and in the case of shisha because this product was usually smoked late at night anyway.