Stop & Stop announced Monday that it will stop selling all cigarettes and tobacco products at its 360 stores throughout the Northeast — including nearly 90 in Connecticut — by the end of this week.

The grocer said the decision was, in part, an expansion of its commitment to promote community wellness. In addition to its pharmacy, Stop & Shop offers customers access to registered dieticians who focus on food and nutrition. Nutrition Partners offers free education and resources to customers.

The move to end tobacco sales was paired with a “stop smoking” push that includes cigarette buyback events in Boston and on Staten Island in New York.

Stop & Shop’s move follows other major retailers including CVS, Walmart and Target eliminating tobacco from shelves at all or some of their stores.

Stop & Shop’s move drew praise from the American Cancer Society.

“This is a step in the right direction toward ending Big Tobacco’s influence on kids, and we know even more can be done to reduce the toll of tobacco in our communities,” said Karen E. Knudsen, chief executive of the cancer society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. “From state and local governments to schools and businesses, we can all play a part in protecting public health.”

Knudsen urged state lawmakers to prioritize “tobacco control” program funding to underpin quit smoking efforts.

Stop & Shop declined to say how much annual revenue the grocer takes in from the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products, or what percentage they represent of its total sales.

The grocer cited statistics from the World Health Organization that point to 780 million people worldwide want to quit smoking, but only 30% have to support to do so.

“Our responsibility as a grocer goes far beyond our aisles, and we are committed to taking bold steps to help our associates, customers, and communities work towards better health outcomes,” Gordon Reid, president of Quincy, MA-based Stop & Shop, said.

“From our team of registered dietitians that serve our customers at no cost to our trained and trusted pharmacy associates, Stop & Shop aims to support the health and well-being of the neighborhoods we serve – and this exit from tobacco is one more way we’re accomplishing that goal.”

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