From the editor-in-chief Chris Fay Editor-in-chief chrisf@tsi.org.uk News that most smaller retailers are complying with new legislation on tobacco displays is encouraging. When the supermarket display ban was rolled out to all retailers there were fears Britains beleaguered shopkeepers might struggle. Early indications suggest these concerns were unfounded and some critics missed the point that the measures were designed to reduce tobacco sales. Meanwhile, convenience stores are diversifying and where consumers once picked up a newspaper, their couriers might drop off an iPad. When I looked at the report (previewed on page 7 and published in full for the rst time on CTSIs website today) it was not the compliance rates that caught my attention. As you might expect, I was more interested in the section that looks at how the legislative changes were received and communicated. Im not going to beat myself up because almost half of the retailers cited the UKs 30bn tobacco industry as their primary source of information the industry is eager to keep retailers on side when tobacco is a diminishing aspect of any business. But I do take comfort in the number of convenience stores that cited local authorities as their primary source of business guidance. It forms the next-largest recognisable group, slightly behind others, which is often word of mouth or news underpinned by local authority messages. In addition to compliance on tobacco display rules, the report shows how trading standards services continue to play a central role in helping businesses adapt to change, regardless of what is driving it and leading to some unlikely bedfellows. In this months edition of TS Today, product safety expert Robert Chantry-Price looks at tattoo ink and the rise or amateur tattooists or scratchers as they are known by the licensed tattoo artists they undercut. Meanwhile, Simon Grier from the General Optical Council is urging trading standards professionals to remain vigilant to the risks of cosmetic contact lenses. How to cope with emerging threats and future demands was discussed during a break out session at CTSIs recent meeting of council details of which will appear in next months edition. I hope you enjoy this months, and thank you for reading.