VB Distribution (Vapes-Bars Ltd), which supplies more than 50,000 active retail shelves across wholesale, convenience, forecourt, travel, and independent retail channels with nicotine alternatives, has been approved by HMRC to operate a customs bonded warehouse at its facility in Darwen, giving the international distribution group the ability to hold stock under duty suspension ahead of the Vaping Products Duty on 1 October 2026.
Under the new duty, a flat excise charge of £2.20 per 10ml applies to all vaping liquid in the UK, with duty stamps mandatory on retail packaging from the same date. Bonded warehouse capability lets VB defer the point at which duty becomes payable, manage the cost of the transition in a controlled way, and give retailers and brand partners clear duty status and a verifiable audit trail on every shipment.
"Compliance is no longer a back-office function in this category — it is the commercial proposition," said Natalia Gosciniak, Chief Executive Officer of VB Distribution. "Securing HMRC bonded approval for our warehouse is a clear signal of the standard we operate to, and of the role we intend to play for the retailers and brands navigating the months ahead."