Interview with ELUX: Swedish-made nicotine pouches exceed 1 million units in monthly sales

The Vaper Expo UK, the annual e-cigarette exhibition in the UK, officially opened on October 25, 2024 at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. 2Firsts had in-depth discussions with Kobe, the UK market manager for the e-cigarette brand ELUX at the exhibition.

Future focus on e-liquids and open system vapes

Kobe noted that due to a significant decline in the market share of disposable e-cigarettes in Europe, particularly as sales of non-compliant products are blocked, they are moving towards more compliant open systems.

Their e-liquid products are performing well in the UK market and the forthcoming open system has also received positive market feedback. They will therefore focus on promoting e-liquid and open system products in the UK market in the future.

The representative noted that after extensive market testing and adjustments, ELUX's e-liquid products began to see significant growth in 2023, becoming a top-selling brand. In discussing the reasons for ELUX's success, Kobe emphasised the importance of market research and highlighted ELUX's significant investment in marketing. In addition, customer preferences and solid partnerships with distributors have further fuelled the brand's growth.

Kobe revealed that ELUX plans to launch a new open system vape device after the show, in response to consumer requests and demand for open system options under the ELUX brand.

 Nicotine pouches reach 1 million units shipped in first month

Kobe shared insights into the market response to ELUX's nicotine pouches, highlighting that this product represents a new market segment for the brand. As the nicotine pouches originated in Sweden, ELUX decided to manufacture them in Sweden rather than in China or other regions to ensure that the quality and taste of the product met high Swedish standards.

To support this commitment, the ELUX team visited manufacturing facilities in Sweden and established a dedicated local testing team. Since its launch just over a month ago, ELUX nicotine pouches have reached a shipment milestone of 1 million units.

Expanding into Middle East and US markets as UK bans disposable vapes

Commenting on the current UK market, Kobe noted that rapid market changes have been a key challenge in ELUX's brand building efforts in the region. He took a positive view of the ban on disposable vapes, seeing compliance as a way to ensure fair competition.

While ELUX's portfolio is currently dominated by disposable products, the company has a strong R&D pipeline that is ready to adapt to market changes and navigate the upcoming ban with compliant and strategically launched products. In addition to the UK, ELUX has a presence in several European markets, with strong performance in the Middle East and Russia, and is actively expanding into the US market.

At the show, ELUX showcased its '2+10' range. Kobe explained the 10 month delay in launching this range compared to similar products on the market. He emphasised ELUX's cautious approach, prioritising thorough testing and gathering market feedback before launch to ensure product maturity and quality. The '2+10' range has now been on the market for about a week.