UK Vape Shops to Reopen This Week

According to reports on June 17, vape shops in the UK will officially reopen for business this week, marking the first time they have opened since the country went into lockdown in March due to COVID-19. Vape users will need to adapt to the new layouts in local vape shops.

Vape retailers will follow government guidance to ensure customer safety as much as possible. Plexiglass screens at sales counters, visors worn by retail staff, and limits on the number of customers allowed in each store are among the new features of vape shops.

Doug Mutter, manufacturing and compliance director at VPZ, one of the UK’s largest independent vape shop chains, said: “We have been extremely busy putting all the necessary measures in place so that we fully comply with government guidance and ensure the safety of our staff and customers.”

He said: “We ask customers to remain patient, as in following social distancing guidance we may at times have to limit the number of customers in store. We are also encouraging card payments, preferably contactless, and we have removed all testers and device samples so that no items can be touched and passed around. However, our professionally trained staff will continue to provide comprehensive advice as always.”

Andrej Kuttruf, CEO of Evapo, which has 37 stores in the UK, said: “Our stores will be open six days a week from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. We have prepared hand sanitizer for customers, as well as masks and gloves for store teams, and floor markings to indicate social distancing. Our store teams will wear visors, and we will also sell a range of personal protective equipment and hand sanitizer to the public.”

In addition to introducing floor markings for social distancing, erecting screens, and removing testing stations, Oxford Vapors has also displayed large infographics based on NHS advice about the benefits of vaping and general information about e-cigarettes. The company is also providing customers with free personal protective equipment for in-store use.

Store owner Dan Greenall said: “One of the benefits of vape shops is that they provide expert advice to smokers who want to quit and to vape users. Putting this kind of guidance on our walls will help support that process in the new store environment.”

ECigWizard, which has 54 stores in the UK, has also been busy preparing its stores with signage and fitting staff with personal protective equipment, including face shields and gloves.

The stores have also been supplied with additional cleaning products and hand sanitizer, along with clear instructions for increased cleaning of key touchpoints. While the company looks for workable alternatives to provide testing samples that reduce cross-contamination, all testers have been removed from shop floors.

John Dunne, director of the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA), commented that the industry has been highly agile and resourceful, first having to transition overnight to an online business model when stores had to close during lockdown, and then preparing to restart in a very different operating environment.

He said the industry has spent a great deal of time preparing stores for the new government guidance on in-store social distancing, meaning customers can feel confident shopping at their local vape stores.