UK's First Week of Disposable E - cigarette Ban: Convenience Stores Suffer £5m Loss, Illegal Sales Still Exist

Key Points:

·Sales Plunge Due to Ban: In the first week of the UK's ban on disposable e-cigarettes (as of June 8), sales in convenience stores took a hit of £5 million. Before the ban, disposable e-cigarettes brought in approximately £23 million ($30,948,110) in sales for convenience stores each week. However, in the first week following the ban, sales plummeted to £17.8 million ($23,808,960). 

·Rampant Illegal Sales: Despite the ban, banned disposable e-cigarettes continue to be sold in significant quantities. Illegal sales of disposable e-cigarettes have exceeded £1 million ($1,345,570), and prices have remained relatively stable in the first week of the ban. 

·Significant Regional Disparities: Overall e-cigarette sales in Scotland have dropped by 36%, facing the most severe impact. The regions of Wales and Yorkshire/Humber have experienced the smallest sales decline. Yorkshire and Humber have the highest concentration of disposable e-cigarette sales at 18%, while Wales and the southeast of England have the lowest, at only 2% and 4% respectively. 

·Difficulties in Product Replacement: Packages of "10+2ml" e-liquid have rapidly increased in value, reaching 24% last week, becoming a primary replacement choice. However, these products still struggle to completely fill the gap left by disposable e-cigarettes, posing a challenge for retailers in terms of product display space planning.

 According to a report by Visonline on June 17th, based on the latest data released by Talysis, a UK convenience retail industry data company, the ban on disposable e-cigarettes implemented on June 1st has resulted in £5 million ($6,730,750) in sales losses for convenience stores in the first week of the ban (up to June 8).

Sales have plummeted, but illegal sales are still active.

Before the ban was implemented, disposable e-cigarettes were generating approximately £23 million ($30,948,110 USD) in sales for convenience stores in the UK each week. In the first week after the ban, this figure dropped to £17.8 million ($23,808,960 USD). Despite a significant overall decrease in sales, Talysis has pointed out that banned products are still seeing "substantial sales", with illegal disposable e-cigarette sales exceeding £1 million ($1,345,570 USD), confirming ongoing illegal sales practices by some retailers.

Interestingly, Talysis also found that despite facing pressure from the ban, the prices of these illegal disposable e-cigarettes remained "relatively stable" in the first week of the ban being implemented. While some retailers chose to discount their products to clear inventory, the overall market did not see a "significant price reduction.

Scotland experienced the largest decrease, while Wales had the lowest proportion.

According to regional data, Scotland has been hit the hardest, with e-cigarette sales dropping by 36%; Northern Ireland and the northeast of England saw decreases of 31% and 27% respectively. Sales of e-cigarettes in all regions have decreased by at least 20%.

In relative terms, Wales and Yorkshire/Humber had the smallest decline in sales. However, disposable e-cigarette sales in the Yorkshire/Humber region accounted for the highest proportion, representing 18% of total e-cigarette sales in that area.

In Wales and the southeast of England, the proportion of disposable e-cigarette use is 2% and 4% respectively, the lowest in the country.

Alternative products still struggle to fill the gap.

In terms of alternative products, Talysis pointed out that the "10+2ml" (total of 12ml) e-liquid pack is experiencing rapid growth, with a value increase of 24% last week, far surpassing the 12% growth of the "4-in-1" pack.

Currently, for every "4-in-1" set sold, approximately 3.5 "10+2ml" sets are also sold, becoming the primary alternative choice for users.

Talysis CEO Ed Roberts stated:

"For most law-abiding retailers, this is an extremely challenging period. A loss of £5 million in the first week highlights the difficulty of fully filling the market gap left by disposable e-cigarettes with alternative products."

He added:

"Currently, there is a wide range of alternative products available on the market, making it a challenge for retailers to plan their display space effectively. With its industry-leading data analysis capabilities, Talysis can help retailers quickly grasp market trends, identify truly popular alternative brands, and make adjustments with greater confidence. We will continue to monitor changes in this product category and assist our clients in regaining lost sales revenue."