Tag: UK

Supreme Acquires Cuts Ice and Flavour Core E-liquids

The UK-based wholesale distributor and manufacturer Supreme has announced the acquisition of vaping manufacturer Cuts Ice and e-liquid business Flavour Core for undisclosed fees.
It follows Supreme’s acquisition of Liberty Flights in June in a deal worth up to £15 million as it looks to expand its influence in the vaping category.
The business said Cuts Ice had developed a leading vape brand called T Juice. which had achieved significant recognition in European markets, according to The Grocer.
It claimed the acquisition would allow the business to diversify its current UK-centric vaping division by supplying to France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Belgium, as well as gaining additional flavouring and mixing expertise.
The two businesses are expected to be fully integrated into Supreme’s wider vaping division and enhance earnings immediately
“We are delighted to be acquiring assets from Cuts Ice and Flavour Core, a highly innovative and hugely popular brand both in the UK and across Europe,” said Supreme CEO Sandy Chadha.
“We continue to see significant growth from within our vaping activities and see this transaction as an excellent example of how we can continue to add both scale and expertise into the group.”
August 10, 2022
U.K. Review of TRPR Finds Vaping Helps to Stop Smoking
The UK’s Department for Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) review into the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations (TRPR) laws which govern sales of nicotine products found that existing TRPR regulations “met their original objectives” and that they “could not be better achieved through alternative regulatory measures.”
The UK government has set itself a target of reducing the amount of UK smokers to just 5 percent of the population in the next eight years with the TRPR and other developments, such as the yet to be published Tobacco Control Plan (TCP), set to play a major role in helping to realize that ambition.
The DHSC’s view, published March 25, states the government believes in proportionate regulation of e-cigarettes, recognizing that they are not risk free. However, e-cigarettes and vaping products have been an effective tool to stop combustible cigarette smoking. Youth use is very limited, the report found.
“The current regulatory framework in TRPR aims to reduce the risk of harm to children, protect against renormalization of tobacco use, provide assurance on relative safety for users, and provide legal certainty for businesses,” the review states. “We know that a small proportion of children are experimenting with e-cigarettes, but regular child use remains consistently low in England.”
In response to the review, John Dunne, director general of the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA), said that at first glance the response appears to be “status quo” and a win for the UK’s vaping sector as the review clearly states the positive impact that vaping can have in helping people to quit smoking.
“We have to remember this is only a review of all points made and some initial positions the government is taking; our hope now is that those proposals and recommendations are carried forward and manifested in the Tobacco Control Plan.” – John Dunne
“As part of the TRPR consultation we submitted a whole raft of proposals aimed at creating a better commercial and regulatory environment to make it easier for the industry to help people trying to give up smoking and it is good to see those acknowledged,” Dunne stated in a release.
The UKVIA, which promotes vaping as a less harmful alternative to smoking and its significant impact in helping smokers quit, as well as dispelling the misinformation on vaping that exists, submitted a landmark package of recommendations to the TRPR consultation, including:

The use of Government-approved expert health claims on products to address misinformation leading to misperceptions on vaping, and therefore encourage smokers to switch

Greater opportunities to engage with smokers, as current regulations restrict vaping’s ability to provide smokers with evidence-based knowledge to make informed decisions when looking to quit

The extension of certain regulations to cover additional vaping products, such as non-nicotine e-liquids, thereby ensuring a highly responsible and safe industry.
“What this tells me is that the industry is doing its job in bringing to the fore some of the things that have been holding back vaping’s ability to support the Government’s smokefree targets to full effect,” continued Dunne. “We have to remember this is only a review of all points made and some initial positions the government is taking; our hope now is that those proposals and recommendations are carried forward and manifested in the Tobacco Control Plan.”
March 26, 2022
UK Vaping Retailer Opens First Store Since Lockdown

VPZ opened a new store on July 31, its first since Covid-19 lockdowns began. The UK’s largest vaping retailer opened the shop in Bruntsfield, Edinburgh, creating five new jobs.
Headquartered in Newbridge, Edinburgh, VPZ director Doug Mutter said the company has had to adapt to the new way of life following the huge change in the retail landscape.
“We are seeing the biggest change in the retail economy in living memory and we as a company have had to be adapt in what we can offer. We understand that not all of our customers are able to travel to our stores. The High Street is having to adapt to much smaller footfall,” he stated in a release. “That is why we have opened this new store within a more residential area to ensure we can still serve our customers, without requiring them to take excessive travel. We believe this maybe a longer-term change to the marketplace and we are investing and committing to serving local communities as best we can.”
Despite the retail sector facing huge challenges the company are seeing more smokers making the switch, with record numbers of quit attempts in 2020.
“Vaping represents a huge public health opportunity and the market will continue to grow as increasing numbers of smokers recognise its effectiveness in helping people to quit smoking,” stated Mutter. “Consumer education is crucial too and our knowledgeable staff are always available with advice and support that helps make it easy for smokers to make the switch and give up cigarettes once and for all.”
August 3, 2020
Online E-liquid Retailer Vapester Rebrands Itself as VapeKit

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Online UK e-liquid store Vapester.co.uk has rebranded itself. The company’s online e-liquid store, which serves customers across the United Kingdom, has moved to a new domain name to coincide with the change.
As a result, Vapester.co.uk customers can now visit the company’s online store at VapeKit.co.uk to shop online for vaping supplies, according to a press release.
“While the company’s name and online address have both changed, the company continues to provide the same great service to customers across the UK, providing convenient access to e-liquids, vape kits, nicotine shots, and everything else a vaper needs to keep on vaping,” the release states. “Existing customers can continue to use their existing accounts, as login details for customer accounts remain the same.”
July 2, 2020
UKVIA Wants Tax Parity With NRTs for Vapor

A vapor industry advocacy group is calling for the UK government to consider a similar VAT rate for vaping that currently applies to nicotine replacement therapies (NRT). The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) is calling upon government as the Chancellor of the Exchequer is widely reported to be looking at reducing the VAT rates in the wake of the coronavirus as the Government last did during the 2008 economic downturn, according to a press release.
In a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, the UKVIA urges the government to consider a level playing field in regard to the VAT rate between NRT and vaping products, to support adult smokers who would otherwise not quit smoking to make the switch to vaping, the release states.
The letter points to the recent Public Health England (PHE) Vaping in England Report that found that when vaping products were used in an attempt to quit, either alone or with licensed medication, success rates were comparable to, if not higher than, NRTs alone.
The current VAT chasm between NRT products (5 percent) and vaping (the full 20 percent VAT and the same as conventional cigarettes) despite the fact that e-cigarettes, whilst not considered a cessation product, have significant potential to have a positive impact on public health. “This is backed up by research commissioned by the NHS last year which revealed that e-cigs are twice as effective as nicotine patches, gum or sprays for quitting smoking,” according to the release.
John Dunne, director at UKVIA, said the vaping sector has been a “major retail success story this century and is playing a major role in getting smokers to quit, thereby helping cut the huge annual cost of healthcare” that is often associated with smoking.
“Yet according to research nearly 1 in 10 smokers do not switch to e-cigarettes because they considered them to cost too much,” he said. “Ensuring that the price of vaping products remains much lower than cigarettes is vitally important in continuing to encourage the some 7m smokers in the UK, who otherwise do not quit, to make the switch.”
He goes on to explain that the UK is still in the recovery phase of Covid-19 and a significant VAT reduction for vape products would pay back both economically and from a healthcare perspective.
“A VAT rate for vaping on par with NRT would also support the call in the recent PHE report for smokers to be encouraged to try regulated nicotine vaping products along with smoking cessation medications and behavioural support to increase their chances of successfully stopping smoking,” he said.
July 2, 2020
U.K. Menthol Ban Could Drive Smokers Towards Vapor

More smokers could turn to reduced-risk products like e-cigarettes after the U.K.’s menthol ban becomes enforceable today, new research suggests.
The study by TobaccoIntelligence shows that many retailers are planning to use the shelf space previously occupied by menthol cigarettes for alternatives such as vapour and heated tobacco products.
David Palacios, from TobaccoIntelligence, said: “The opportunities to convert menthol smokers to less risky alternatives are substantial.
“In the UK alone, for example, it is estimated that 1.3 million people currently using menthol cigarettes will need to find an alternative product.”
May 20, 2020
Never smokers aren’t using e-cigs, U.K. survey finds
Results of the New Youth Tobacco Policy Survey conducted by Cancer Research UK show that the majority of youth who have never smoked combustible cigarettes are not using e-cigarettes regularly.
Of the 1,205 children aged 11-16 who took part in a U.K.-wide survey on e-cigarette use, 12 percent reported “ever” use, 2 percent reported “more than monthly” use and 1 percent reported “more than weekly” use.
Among never smokers, only 3 percent reported ever use and 0 percent reported “at least monthly” use, indicating that regular e-cigarette use occurs only in youths who also smoked tobacco cigarettes.
The results of the study reflect earlier research that showed regular e-cigarette use to be extremely rare among nonsmoking youth. The latest survey, which was conducted from August to September 2014, marked the first time questions regarding e-cigarettes were included.
According to Cancer Research UK scientist and University of Stirling professor Linda Bauld, there is a common perception that the recent increase in e-cigarette use will lead to a new generation of adults who have never smoked but become dependent on nicotine. However, the survey results indicate that youth who have never used tobacco products are not using e-cigarettes regularly and that “experimentation is not translating into regular use.”
The study will be published in the Nicotine and Tobacco Research journal.
June 18, 2015