Tag: Doug Mutter

VPZ Expected to Open 15 More Stores by End of 2023

Doug Mutter/Photo: VPZ
VPZ, the largest vaping retailer in the UK, announced it would be increasing its footprint to over 160 stores by opening 15 new stores across the UK by the end of 2023.
The growth comes amidst VPZ’s launch of its new vape recycling service in partnership with WasteCare across all its stores in response to the rising environmental concerns over disposable vapes.
“We are delighted to be continuing our brand expansion and mission of supporting adult smokers to quit whilst bringing our own innovative recycling services to tackle the negative environmental impact of disposable vaping,” said Doug Mutter, director at VPZ.
VPZ is also calling on both the UK Government to introduce tighter controls and licensing for selling vaping products both in physical and online retail environments.
To date, Edinburgh-based VPZ has already helped over 700k smokers in the UK quit since it was established in 2012, according to the retailer.
In March VPZ said it planned to have opened 20 additional stores by the end of the year as its expansion plans continue.
September 11, 2023
UK’s Leading Vape Shops Support Disposables Ban

Credit: VPZ
The head of one of the leading retailers and manufacturers of vaping products in the United Kingdom says he would support a ban on disposable vapes as long as it did not create a black market.
Doug Mutter, company director of VPZ, said a ban in Australia had led to unsafe products being sold there illegally.
He insists the industry recognizes that the environmental impact of single-use products needs to be addressed.
An urgent review of disposable products was ordered by the Scottish government and is due to be released within days, reports Yahoo! News.
It was commissioned after a campaign by climate activist Laura Young who had been collecting dozens of disposable vapes each day while walking her dog Cooper in Dundee.
The review is likely to quantify the scale of the problem and lay out the options available to ministers.
Disposable vapes are a problem because they contain lithium batteries which should be taken to a recycling facility for disposal.
But millions are either discarded or thrown into bins each year where they can cause a fire at processing facilities.
Refillable vapes are available which are much cheaper to use in the long term and have less of an environmental impact.
VPZ has 150 stores throughout the UK.
Mutter – who is also the director of the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) – said disposables have a place for smokers who would like to try vaping but do not want to invest in reusable systems.
He acknowledges the environmental impact of them and their attractiveness to young people who do not already smoke.
“For me, there should be a ban on disposables that we would support if there were proper punishments and policing put in place to enforce the ban and ensure that a black market doesn’t bubble up,” said Mutter.
Enforcement should be funded by a licensing scheme, he said, which retailers would have to be a part of to sell vaping products.
June 26, 2023
VPZ Plans to Open 20 More Stores by End of Year
Credit: VPZ
VPZ says it plans to have opened 20 additional stores by the end of the year as its expansion plans continue.
The Scottish vaping group’s director Doug Mutter is calling on the U.K. Government to follow the lead of New Zealand and increase regulation of the vaping market.
Edinburgh-headquartered VPZ plans to grow to 170 stores by the end of the year, according to insider.co.UK.
The chain has this year already opened stores in Hexham, Sheffield, Nottingham, Derby and Newquay.
It says Falkirk and seven “major shopping center sites” are going through the acquisition process and that further growth is planned in the North East of England and Yorkshire.
Mutter also called for tighter controls and licensing for selling vaping products.
“At VPZ, we are firmly focused on helping adult smokers quit and have helped over 700,000 people quit smoking since we were established in 2012,” he said.
March 13, 2023
UK Vape Retailer VPZ Announces Expansion Goals

The UK’s largest vaping retailer VPZ has announced its intent to open 10 additional stores by the end of the year.
It comes as the business called for the UK Government to introduce tighter controls and licensing for selling vaping products.
The business will increase its portfolio to 160 locations across England and Scotland, including stores in London and Glasgow, according to a press release.
VPZ made the announcement as it takes its mobile vape clinic on the road throughout the country.
It comes as Government ministers continue to promote vaping, with Public Health England claiming e-cigarettes carry a “fraction of the risk of smoking”.
However, last month research indicated a steep rise in underage vaping over the last five years, according to Action on Smoking and Health.
Doug Mutter, director of VPZ, said that VPZ is spearheading the fight against the nation’s No. 1 killer – smoking.
“Our plans to open 10 new stores and the launch of our mobile vape clinic responds 100 percent to our ambition to engage with more smokers throughout the country and help them take the first steps on their quit journey.”
Mutter added that the e-cigarette sector could be improved, calling for greater scrutiny of those selling products,
“At the moment we have a challenge in the industry where imported, many unregulated, disposable vaping products are readily available from local convenience stores, supermarkets and several other general retailers with no age verification control or regulation in many of these,” said Mutter.
“We are urging the UK Government to act now and follow best practice from countries like New Zealand, where flavoured products can only be sold from specialist licensed vaping stores, where a challenge 25 policy is in place and consultation is aimed towards adult smokers and vapers.
“VPZ is also in favor of substantial fines for those who breach the rules.”
August 22, 2022
England: Number of Young Smokers Up During Lockdown
Photo: marjan4782
The number of young adults who smoke in England rose by about a quarter in the first lockdown, reports The Guardian, citing new research from University College London (UCL) and the University of Sheffield said. At the same time, the number of people who quit smoking nearly doubled across all groups.
“The first lockdown was unprecedented in the way it changed people’s day-to-day lives. We found that many smokers took this opportunity to stop smoking, which is fantastic,” said Sarah Jackson, the lead author and a principal research fellow at UCL.
“However, the first lockdown was also a period of great stress for many people, and we saw rates of smoking and risky drinking increase among groups hardest hit by the pandemic.”
While the widespread belief that smoking and drinking relieved stress could be a factor in the apparent increased prevalence among people aged 18 to 34 years, the researchers pointed out that their data did not indicate what the causes may be.
Doug Mutter
Doug Mutter, director at U.K. vaping specialist VPZ, warned that the country is now in danger of missing its 2030 smoke free targets.
“Smoking statistics are continuing to rise as the pandemic has triggered an increase in smoking rates and the public health problem has been compounded by funding cuts for NHS stop smoking services and local support groups,” he said.
“There has been a lack of funding and joined up strategy to tackle smoking and we are now sleep-walking into another public health crisis with a new generation of smokers being consigned to an early death or serious disease.
Mutter pointed to a new report from Royal College of Physicians Tobacco Advisory Group, which backs vaping as an effective treatment for tobacco dependency and recommends that it should be included and encouraged in all treatment pathways.
A VPZ consumer survey from September 2020 found that among the 14,000 smokers served:
25 percent of people said they were unable to buy their vaping products because of store closures.
26 percent of smokers said they has increased the number of cigarettes they smoked during lockdown
65 percent of people claimed they received no advice during lockdown of the best ways to quit smoking, through either NHS or online resources.
58 percent of people said they did not feel healthier coming out of the initial lockdown.
45 percent of people said their mental health was affected during the lockdown.
August 26, 2021