UK C-Stores Lose £5M in First Week of Disposable Vape Ban
The UK’s nationwide ban on disposable vapes, which took effect on June 1, 2025, resulted in an immediate £5 million loss in sales within the vaping category for convenience stores in its first week. Despite the prohibition, over £1 million worth of illegal disposable vape sales still occurred, according to new data from Talysis, a specialist convenience insight agency, and its EPoS data arm, Convenience Data UK (CD:UK).
Before the ban, the total vapes category (including disposables, kits, and pods) was worth approximately £23 million per week in UK convenience stores. In the week ending June 8, 2025, the first full week under the ban, total vape sales dropped to just £17.8 million. The data indicates that despite the significant overall decline and the ban being in force, banned disposable vapes still achieved “noticeable sales” exceeding £1 million, supporting widespread reports of some retailers flouting the new law. Surprisingly, the average price of these illicitly sold disposable vapes remained steady, with no major price cuts observed despite the ban.
The regional impact varied. Scotland experienced the most significant drop, losing 36% of its total vaping category sales compared to pre-ban weekly averages. Northern Ireland (-31%) and North East England (-27%) also saw substantial declines, with all UK regions experiencing a minimum 20% reduction in vape sales. Interestingly, while Wales and Yorkshire/Humber saw the lowest overall drop in sales (-20%), Yorkshire/Humber recorded the highest percentage of ongoing disposable vape sales post-ban, accounting for 18% of its total vape sales. Wales had the lowest percentage of illicit disposable sales at just 2%.
As the sector adjusts, sales of reusable alternatives are growing, but not yet enough to compensate for the loss of disposables. “Small puff” 2ml reusable kits saw an 11% value sales increase, while larger capacity “big puff” kits, particularly 12ml (10+2ml) formats, showed stronger growth at +24% in value. For every “4-in-1” kit sold, approximately 3.5 of the 10+2ml kits were purchased. Sales of refill pods for these new reusable kits also rose by 21% in value, though kit sales still outpace pod sales as consumers make initial hardware purchases. Oral nicotine alternatives saw a modest 5% value growth during the first week of the ban.
Ed Roberts, MD of Talysis Ltd, commented, “This is such a challenging time for retailers… a £5 million loss in the first week alone is a major hole to fill.” He noted that while it’s early days, the data presents a tough picture of how the ban is impacting sales and how alternatives are yet to fully replace disposable use.
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