Preparing for the new vaping legislation

Sarj Patel, Pasture Lane Stores, Sutton Bonington, Nottinghamshire

“The big legislation for retailers is the disposable vape ban. We need to start running them down now and get people buying alternatives. For example rechargeable vapes.

“We’ve stopped buying disposables already because we don’t want to get lumbered with them after June. Lots of retailers still think that the ban is a long way away or think it’s not been confirmed. However, it has and there are a lot of slow lines out there already. People need to get their stock sold or they are going to end up with a lot of products they can’t sell.

“Speak to your wholesaler. There are so many alternatives out there and you don’t want to end up with the wrong one. Especially if you’ve not got the space. Retailers should do some research to find out what the main brands are, what’s popular in their area and what they need to stock. The refillable devices will cost around £12.99 for customers, so you need to have the right one.”

Preparing for new wage legislation

Imtiyaz Mamode, Wych Lane Premier, Gosford, Hampshire

“The wage increase and the disposables ban will affect retailers a lot. Normally if there’s a wage increase, it means we’re going to have to pass that extra cost onto the customers. But, at the moment, that’s not something we want to do, so we’ll try to get stock at a good price now so we can keep prices down.

“Our staff hours aren’t going to go down. Our shop is usually very busy, so, if anything, we want more staff nowadays because otherwise I’ll have to work those hours in the shop and my time is better spent working on growing the business. Hopefully, the increase in wages will encourage more people to seek jobs with us so we can get more staff.

“In terms of the disposable vape ban, we spoke to our supplier and it has said it’s our responsibility whether we buy from them, so we’re going to stop getting any in the second week of March and then we’ll sell through.”

Planning for every possibility in the disposable vape ban

Nathalie Fullerton, One Stop Partick, Glasgow

“For me, the biggest legislative change of the year is the disposable- vapes ban. We’ve already got a small selection of refillables and pods, and we will be upping that all the way to June. Initially, I think we’ll have the same amount of space dedicated to the non-disposables as we had for the disposables range. There are products launching all the time, with Elfbar and Lost Mary both coming up with their own refillable devices. And people are buying them.

“It depends on whether these new products become the norm. We’ll have to play it by ear because we’ll dedicate the same space if they do, but if things start to trail off, we’ll have to think of something else to put in that space because every square inch in retail is worth a fortune. It’s about creating a different purchasing experience as well because refillables have a higher price, so is more of an informed choice than an impulse buy.”

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