ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) is calling on all retailers to ensure they are prepared for the disposable vapes ban, which comes into force in less than a month on June 1st.

From the date of implementation, all vaping products that are available for sale legally in the UK must be both refillable and rechargeable, meaning that they must be intended for multiple uses. Any products that are intended for single use will be illegal for retailers to sell, offer to sell, or have in their possession for sale in their shop or on their website. Any leftover disposable vaping products from 1st June must be stored in stock rooms or back offices, away from the shopfloor. They must also be clearly separated from other goods and clearly labelled as not for sale.

To help retailers understand and prepare for the ban, ACS has produced a comprehensive guide for retailers which is backed by Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards. The “Selling Vapes Responsibly” guide is available on the ACS website and outlines the steps that retailers need to take to ensure they comply with the ban, their responsibilities when it comes to the vaping category, and how to recognise illicit vapes that may enter the store.

Retailers should aim to sell through all existing disposable vaping products before 1st June to avoid commercial loss and enforcement action.

You can download the 'Selling Vapes Responsibly' guide here.

ACS has also developed a template poster for retailers to display in their store to communicate the ban to customers which is available here.