ACS is reminding retailers of its industry leading Assured Advice guide on selling vapes, helping retailers to tackle the huge rise in illicit products on shelves.

The ‘Selling Vapes Responsibly’ guide includes everything that retailers need to know to recognise legitimate products, as well as the age verification policies that should be in place to ensure that products are only sold to those who are legally allowed to purchase them.

Some of the key areas highlighted in the guide include:

• Look out for the number of puffs claimed on a disposable device. If it’s more than around 600, it’s not allowed to be on the UK market
• Check the warnings. If they don’t cover 30% of the front and back of the pack, it’s not allowed to be on the UK market
• Check the wording of the warnings. There’s only one phrase that’s allowed on pack warnings in the UK, which is ‘This product contains nicotine which is a highly addictive substance’. If the warning says anything other than this, it’s not allowed to be on the UK market

In the guide, it is recommended that retailers use the successful Challenge 25 policy in store for the sale of vapes. While primarily used for alcohol and tobacco sales, ACS urges retailers to adopt Challenge25 for all age restricted sales, as it provides consistency for both colleagues and customers.

The guide is part of ACS’ Assured Advice scheme, which is backed by Surrey and Buckinghamshire Trading Standards. Assured Advice means that if you follow the guidance, your in-store procedures must be respected by enforcement officers wherever you are in England in Wales. This is especially useful for businesses with stores in multiple local authority areas, where interpretations of the law may vary significantly.

Figures from an ACS survey of Trading Standards officers across England and Wales show that almost two thirds (61%) believe they don’t have sufficient funding to tackle the illicit vaping and tobacco market.

ACS is inviting retailers to attend the next Responsible Retailing Expert Group meeting to explore the latest insights on regulatory compliance, including the responsible sale of vape products. The next meeting, taking place virtually on 24th November, if you would like to attend the virtual meeting, please contact [email protected].

The full guide is available at https://www.acs.org.uk/advice/selling-vapes