Data from insight agency Talysis confirms that convenience stores suffered a multi-million-pound impact during the first week of the government’s ban on disposable vapes.
The figures show that convenience stores lost over £5m of sales within the vaping category, whilst over £1m worth of illegal vape sales were still taking place.
Convenience Data UK (CD:UK), powered by Talysis, is based on EPoS data from thousands of independent & symbol convenience stores around the UK. The latest figures for the seven days ending 8 June 2025 (the first week of the ban in its entirety) show sales in the vape category (disposables, kits, pods, etc.) totalled £17.8m, compared to £23m before the ban.
Despite the significant drop, disposable vapes still achieved noticeable sales during this first week, which included no legal selling days. Accounting for sales of over £1m, this backs up the widely reported flouting of the ban by certain retailers. Surprisingly, the price of disposable vapes also remained steady last week. While some stores have reduced prices to shift stock, it appears that, on average, there have been no major price cuts.
The regional picture sheds even more light on the impact, with Scotland suffering most, losing 36% of sales in the total vaping category in the week since the ban versus the average weekly sales prior to the ban. Northern Ireland (-31%) and northeast England (-27%) have also been hit hard, whilst all regions have seen a minimum of 20% of sales wiped out.
As the convenience sector reels from the loss of sales in disposable vaping, Talysis noted that alternatives have yet to make up the shortfall in a significant way. Two weeks ago, CD:UK data showed that ‘big puff’ and ‘small puff’ sales were broadly similar. As expected, this gap has now widened, with more consumers choosing the small puff 2ml kits. Unit sales of small puff kits are now around double those of big puff kits (4-in-1 and 10+2ml combined). However, in the week ending 8 June, value sales of 10+2ml were +24%, whereas the small puff 2ml kits were +11%. Meanwhile, after a slow start, sales of pods (which fit the new reusable kits) continue to rise, with value sales up by 21%, although the number of kits sold is still easily outpacing pods. As consumers begin to reuse their new kits, Talysis noted that this is expected to change.
Smoking alternatives (mainly oral nicotine) have seen notable growth over the past year. However, this appears to have levelled out in recent weeks. During the first ‘ban week’ to 8 June, sales grew by 5% in value. In the weeks prior, sales were slightly down, at -0.1% and -3.74%.
With the introduction of the ban, there are now even more options for consumers, especially in the ‘big puff’ space. Insights from Talysis show that the 12ml (10+2) kits are selling the fastest. Last week, the 10+2ml kits saw 24% growth in value, while the 4-in-1 kits grew by just 12%. In fact, for every 4-in-1 kit sold, approximately 3.5 of the 10+2ml kits are sold.
Ed Roberts, MD of Talysis, commented: “This is such a challenging time for retailers and, for the vast majority who are adhering to the ban, there’s no doubt that there’s at least some short-term pain to suffer within the vaping category alone. Our data presents a tough picture of how the ban is impacting sales and how the alternative options are yet to compensate fully and replace disposable use. Whilst it’s early days, a £5m loss in the first week alone is a major hole to fill.
“With so many alternatives available, ranging and finding space can be a challenge. This is where Talysis can help make life easier. Using our convenience data, we are able to see what the market is really doing, and which categories, brands and SKUs are the alternatives that consumers are actually buying. The speed and granularity of our data is unmatched within the sector, allowing retailers to act quickly and with full confidence. We’ll be keeping a close eye on this category going forward and ensuring our customers are best placed to regain that lost revenue.”
