Keeping vapes out of sight in stores has emerged as the dominant concern among convenience retailers following the government's consultation on sweeping new restrictions for vaping products, with fears also mounting that tighter regulation could accelerate the growth of the illicit market.
The UK government and devolved administrations last week launched a 12-week consultation proposing sweeping changes to the way vaping products are packaged, designed and displayed. The plans include introducing plain white packaging, restricting flavour descriptions, limiting device colours to white, black or grey, and requiring vapes to be kept behind shop counters, in line with existing tobacco display rules.
Polls conducted by Asian Trader across its retailer community and social media channels suggest that, while retailers broadly recognise the need to curb youth vaping, many are most concerned about proposals requiring vaping products to be kept behind shop counters in the same way as tobacco.
Within The Convenience Hub retailer community, the proposed display ban overwhelmingly emerged as the measure expected to have the greatest impact on convenience stores, far outweighing concerns over plain packaging, standardised device colours or restrictions on flavour descriptions.
Meanwhile, a separate Asian Trader LinkedIn poll indicated that the potential expansion of the black market is retailers' another biggest concern arising from the proposed reforms. Respondents also highlighted the prospect of declining legal vape sales and the operational challenges of implementing new display requirements.
The findings echo warnings from the Independent British Vape Trade Association (IBVTA), which has cautioned that extending tobacco-style display restrictions to vaping products could undermine efforts to encourage smokers to switch to less harmful alternatives while strengthening the illicit market.
For convenience retailers, the proposed display ban appears to be the most immediate operational concern. Unlike plain packaging or restrictions on flavour descriptions, hiding products behind the counter could fundamentally change how legal vape products are merchandised, discovered and sold, particularly for customers seeking smoking cessation products.
The consultation, which closes on 2 October, forms part of the implementation of the Tobacco and Vapes Act and sits alongside other measures including tougher penalties for underage sales, tighter advertising restrictions, a new vape excise duty and plans for a retailer licensing scheme.