FLER at APE

Russia’s State Commission for Countering Illegal Trafficking in Industrial Products on March 25 supported an initiative to fully ban the production, import and circulation of electronic cigarettes, vapes and refill liquids in Russia.

GEEK BAR announced its return to the European market and the release of its pod-based product, SPARK, which will begin rolling out across select European countries starting in March. SPARK features a battery-status display interface and a fast-charging battery. It offers a 1.1Ω prefilled pod (up to approximately 1,000 puffs) and a 0.8Ω refillable pod, along with multiple new flavors tailored for Europe.

Smoore International (6969.HK) released its 2025 results on March 17 and held an investor presentation on the morning of March 18. In morning trade on March 18, the company’s shares fell more than 16% intraday, hitting a low of HK$9.94.

UK vape distributor JM Wholesale filed a notice on March 20 to enter administration. The Leicestershire-based company submitted the notice through Shakespeare Martineau, with Quantuma expected to be appointed as administrator.

British American Tobacco is facing a shareholder lawsuit in London alleging it failed to properly disclose to markets information about breaches of U.S. sanctions linked to its North Korea-related business. BAT agreed in 2023 to pay more than $635 million to U.S. authorities after a subsidiary admitted conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions by selling tobacco products to North Korea and committing bank fraud from 2007 to 2017.