Authored by convenience retailer Neil Godhania, owner and operator of Neil's and Dodds Road Stores in Peterborough
With upcoming legislation, be it the disposable vapes ban or the looming Tobacco and Vapes Bill, independent convenience retailers fear that honest businesses will be unfairly penalised by the new laws while criminals will go unpunished.
However, with proper planning, government support and enforcement, retailers can help make the transition to smoke-free UK safely, smoothly and more effectively.
We are not just convenience stores anymore; we are vital community hubs and the backbone of the areas we serve.
In the case of the ban on disposable vapes effective from June 1, I am well prepared.
The government announced it advance and trading bodies have issued guidance. For example, the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has advised members to stop ordering new disposable vapes, sell through existing stock quickly, and separate any unsold disposable stock after June 1 for recycling.
With all this in mind, we have already started trimming back disposable vape lines and stocking more compliant kits.
However, in my area, the illicit market is very large and booming. Trading Standards raids regularly uncover significant stock, predominantly from pop-up stores and the Lincoln Road area in Peterborough.
For example, a recent operation in March 2025 seized 683,400 cigarettes, 37.45kg of hand-rolling tobacco, and 35 cigars – all of which were found to be illegal.
They also found £14,886 in cash, as well as large sums of foreign currency, and a substantial amount of sildenafil tablets, commonly known as Viagra, which is a prescription-only drug. This is all easily accessible to young people and these criminals profits fund other serious crimes.
These findings mirror national data. In 2023–24 UK-wide Trading Standards seized about 1.19 million illegal vapes (a 59 per cent jump on the year before) and roughly 19 million illicit cigarettes (5.1 tonnes of hand-rolling tobacco) in a single campaign.
What this clearly means is many consumers can buy duty-free tobacco and dodgy vapes from shady stores, thus harming legal shop sales and public health, as these products often have unknown contents.
With the disposable vape ban now on the horizon, most experts expect the illicit market to expand further.
The ACS warns that removing single-use disposables from shops will “receive a boost” in the black market.
Public health groups agree.
Action on Smoking and Health meanwhile points out that the disposable vape ban is "unlikely" to significantly increase the illicit market due to the "widespread availability of reusable vapes which cost and look the same as popular disposable vapes".
All these indicate towards more confusion for us. Unless enforcement tightens with concrete repercussions for illegal traders, it looks like illicit trade will grow, making it even harder for law‑abiding retailers like us.
Additionally, independent retailers also worry that some ex-disposable vapers will turn to illegal sellers or even return to cigarettes.
All these concerns were recently echoed in the Parliament as well.
Recently, I was invited to speak at Lord Wharton of Yarm’s Parliamentary Reception at the House of Commons, joining fellow industry representatives to highlight key concerns surrounding Illicit trade in the UK.
During the session, MPs voiced support for the public health goals but also shared concerns about implementation obstacles.
They are concerned that there is a huge rise in youth vaping and the number is growing at an alarming rate which will cause long term addiction, therefore, many Labour and government MPs have backed the ban.
However, a minority of MPs have raised practical objections, particularly in the implementation of generational smoking ban, pointing out that people that are born a day apart will have permanently different rights.
MPs agreed on the aim of driving down smoking rates and creating the UK’s first smoke free generation, but they also acknowledged and stressed the need for robust enforcement and support for retailers to manage the transition.
Well, the government has promised new resources but many of us retailers feel it may not be enough.
In March 2025 the Department of Health announced an extra £10 million to Trading Standards, funding about 80 new apprentice enforcement officers to target illegal tobacco and vapes in local communities.
This builds on an HMRC “illicit tobacco strategy” with £100 million for Border Force, and will be supplemented by a new vaping duty (from 2026) that brings 200 additional customs and compliance staff to seize illegal vapes.
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill itself includes stronger penalties and even a proposed retailer licensing scheme, which is strongly welcomed by me as I think it’s a way to shut out criminal sellers.
However, I believe this will still leave a big gap.
ACS research shows the current funding works out to only about £30k–£50k per local authority per year, with TS teams already stretched this is barely enough to pay for one extra Trading Standards officer in each area.
I am worried enforcement will remain patchy. I can see the government has taken steps to bolster enforcement, but speaking to most retailers, they believe further funding and coordination will be crucial if Trading Standards are to keep illicit sales in check and support compliant shops.
From a retailer’s point of view, the biggest issue is ensuring that honest businesses aren’t unfairly penalised by the new laws while criminals go unpunished.
Independent stores take youth protection seriously. We already require ID for tobacco and vaping sales, participate in quit smoking initiatives, and support local awareness campaigns.
However, many of us feel we are being blamed for a problem that has grown despite our best efforts.
As one trade federation put it, we are often the “soft target” for regulation while “criminals profit greatly from the illicit tobacco trade”.
Basically, we are urging the government to pair the ban with strong support – a clear, phased implementation and an effective licensing scheme for tobacco and vape outlets (as the Bill proposes) so that only legitimate sellers can operate.
With proper planning and enforcement, retailers can help make the transition safely.
