Vaping products were the fastest growing category in U.K. grocery sales for the second year running in 2023, while sales of cigarettes, cigars and loose tobacco fell sharply, industry data showed.
Britain’s government in October proposed banning younger generations from ever buying cigarettes and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said it also needed to act on youth vaping, according to Reuters.
Vaping products saw growth in value sales in Britain of 897.4 million pounds ($1.15 billion) in 2023, according to the data published on Saturday by market researcher NIQ and The Grocer.
The Lost Mary brand, owned by Chinese vaping firm Heaven Gifts, was the UK’s fastest growing product with sales up by 310.6 million pounds on the previous year, the data showed.
NIQ said vaping products also saw growth on a volume basis, or the amount people bought, while sales of cigarettes, cigars and loose tobacco were down 849.1 million pounds and 393.1 million pounds, respectively, on a sales value basis.