Large Volumes of UK E-Cigarettes Sold to the EU

On October 16, news reported that the UK Customs and Excise (HMRC) recently released data on the import and export of e-cigarettes, revealing that in July, the UK's imports from China were only 75.48% of China's exports to the UK, and the UK's import volume was only 77.53% of China's export volume to the UK. In July, the UK import price was £30.52/kg, while the export price was £43.53/kg. Ireland, Spain, and France are the main export countries for UK e-cigarettes.

However, market research in Germany indicates that the EU is facing a large resale of UK e-cigarettes. As the UK e-cigarette market matures and competition intensifies, some UK traders are selling low-priced e-cigarettes to other countries. Data shows that the main import ports in the UK are London Heathrow (76.98%), Felixstowe (8.11%), and Manchester Airport (7.62%); the main source countries and regions for e-cigarettes are China (76.47%), Hong Kong (10.04%), and South Korea (4.96%). The UK's e-cigarette standards are derived from the EU TPD standards, with compliant e-cigarettes mostly being 2ml, 600 puffs, and weighing between 30-50 grams per stick. In July, the UK import price was £30.52/kg, and the export price was £43.53/kg, with the import price per e-cigarette being approximately €1.17-1.76 and the export price approximately €1.52-2.51. The export value was £8,039,523, with a month-on-month increase of 15.89% and a year-on-year increase of 45.46%. However, the main export ports in July were the Dover/Eurotunnel (37.90%), London Heathrow (11.08%), and East Midlands Airport (10.45%); the main export destination countries for e-cigarettes were Ireland (17.51%), Spain (13.07%), France (12.83%), and Germany (8.93%).