UK convenience store manager fined £2,500 for selling e-cigarettes to minors

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The manager of a convenience store in Bicester, Oxfordshire, UK, has been fined over £2,500 for selling disposable e-cigarettes to minors.

According to news from the Oxfordshire County Council's official website on September 27, the manager of a convenience store in Bicester was fined over £2,500 after an investigation by the Oxfordshire County Council's Trading Standards department for selling disposable e-cigarettes to minors.

The manager pleaded guilty in Oxford Magistrates' Court on Monday, September 25, 2023, and was convicted of one offense. He was fined £400 and ordered to pay a £160 victim surcharge. Oxfordshire County Council received a total of £2,037 in costs, which were brought by the council.

In January 2023, the manager sold a peach ice-flavored disposable e-cigarette (sometimes referred to as puff bars or vape pens) to a 15-year-old buyer, despite the legal age limit for selling e-cigarettes being 18 and over. He was not only a director of the company but also responsible for training store staff on the legal compliance regarding age-restricted products. He personally conducted the sale and did not ask the test purchaser any questions about their age or request any identification.