The Association of Convenience Stores, ACS, has published a new campaign to support the Challenge 25 Policy, prevent young people accessing vaping products and close down businesses that are selling illegal vaping products; we are thrilled to be supporting their efforts.

ACS are providing Challenge 25 Posters, ‘Selling Vapes Responsibly’ Guides and ‘How to Report It’ Guides to give businesses and retailers all of the support they need to tackle the issue of illegal and illicit vape sales internally. The campaign is also highlighting what retailers should look out for when spotting illicit vapes, namely: legitimate manufacturer details, the number of puffs, the phrase ‘This product contains nicotine which is a highly addictive substance’ and the nicotine content.

We are aware, first hand, of the need for underage customers to be challenged when purchasing these products and so we are glad to see the ACS signposting retailer’s responsibilities in order to reduce the risks of ineffective compliance or customer confrontation.

Serve Legal data from 2022 highlighted how independent Convenience Stores were operating at a compliance rate 34% lower than the Serve Legal Vape Compliance Average and 42% lower than the supermarket averages. We fully support this campaign from ACS and are glad to see the team fighting for practical solutions for regulating the vaping market, from the government and regulators, to avoid overburdening businesses or diminishing the benefits and demand for vaping products by consumers.

For further information of their campaign, find the link to ACS’s Vaping Policy Briefing here.