Waitrose stops selling single-use vapes
Waitrose has stopped selling single-use vapes due to concerns about the negative impacts on the environment and young people’s health.
“While we have robust controls under our Challenge 25 Policy, we are concerned about the risk these products pose by appealing to younger people – as well the environmental impact,” the supermarket said in a statement today.
The single-use vape market has seen a rapid growth in the last year “with an increasing number of young non-smoking vapers attracted by the colour and sweet, soft drink and dessert based flavours,” the supermarket said.
Waitrose, which has 331 shops in the UK, said that while it had already decided not to enter the market for single-use vaping devices, it has also stopped selling imitation cigarettes containing lithium, which it has historically sold under the ‘Ten Motives’ label.
Commenting on the decision, Charlotte Di Cello, Commercial Director for Waitrose, said: “We are a retailer driven by doing the right thing, so selling single-use vapes is not something we could justify given the impact on both the environment and the health of young people.”
“This decision is the final jigsaw piece in our clear decision not to be part of the single-use vaping market,” she added.