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This guide includes the different types of gantry that are allowed under the tobacco display ban regulations
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What retailers should look out for when selling tobacco products in plain packaging to ensure that they're legitimate
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The types of vaping / e-cigarette products that are allowed to be sold
If you sell tobacco in your store, there a number of regulations that you need to comply with. This guide details your requirements under the Tobacco Display Ban regulations, the UK Standardised Packaging Regulations and the EU Revised Tobacco Products Directive.
Download the Selling Tobacco Guide
Menthol Ban
The European Union Revised Tobacco Products Directive (2014/40/EU) makes it an offence for manufacturers to produce menthol cigarettes and retailers to sell menthol cigarettes from 20th May 2020.
The ban also applies to capsule, click on, click & roll, crushball or dual menthol cigarettes. The ban does not apply to heated tobacco products or e-cigarette products.
Standardised Packaging
On 20 May 2016, the European Union Revised Tobacco Products Directive (2014/40/EU) and the Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Regulations 2015 came into effect.
• Requires all tobacco packaging to be a standard dull brown colour with a matt finish.
• Permit only specified text (such as the brand and variant name) in Helvetica plain font.
• Bans the sale of price marked packs.
• Allow required markings such as health warnings and fiscal marks to remain on packaging.
Tobacco Display Ban
The law on the display of all products containing tobacco and the display of tobacco prices changed in April 2015 for small stores. It is illegal to display tobacco products in shops and businesses in England, except to people over the age of 18 in the limited circumstances set out in the law. These rules came into force for larger stores in 2012.
It is now illegal to display tobacco products in the relevant shops and businesses in England and Wales, except to people over the age of 18 years in the limited circumstances set out in the new law.
Non-compliance with the new law is a criminal offence. Any person, including shop managers and shop assistants, found guilty of these offences is liable.
A list of Frequently Asked Questions regarding the Tobacco Display Ban Regulations can be viewed here.
Download the Selling Tobacco Guide
