NEWS FEATURE
TOBACCO & VAPING BILL
10 ASIAN TRADER 29 NOVEMBER 2024
s the Tobacco and Vapes Bill makes
its way into parliament with
promises of a healthier, smoke-
free UK, convenience retailers
across the country are anxious, fearing an
impending storm of challenges on the
horizon, finds Asian Trader.
Ignoring the outcry from
small business owners and
consumer freedom advocates
alike, Labour introduced the
Tobacco and Vapes Bill in
parliament on November 5.
Reviving the bill from previous
Conservative government,
Labour has made the legislation
even more stifling with a
couple of additional measures,
such as looking into extending
smoke-free places and introducing a
licensing scheme for tobacco and vape
retailers.
The core of the bill is a ban on selling
“tobacco products, herbal smoking prod-
ucts, and cigarette papers to anyone born on
or after January 1, 2009”. Notably, the focus
is on selling here, thereby placing the entire
burden of enforcement on retailers with no
repercussions on the “under-age adult”
asking or rather coercing for a cigarette.
Touted as a world-leading idea, the bill’s
intentions are noble, but in practice, it is
expected to impose severe operational
challenges for store owners.
For example, in 2040 it will be still legal
to sell cigarettes to 32-year-olds but a
retailer will face a criminal
ofence for selling the same to
30-year-olds, and will probably
facing customers’ wrath when
they are denied what was asked
for.
Additionally, after January 1,
2027, each cigarette or tobacco
product purchase will require
the mandatory checking of
government-approved ID
(which are passport, UK driving
licence, a driving licence issued
If Labour is really serious about a healthier UK, it
must support and collaborate with convenience
sector to craft a balanced workable bill, retailers
tell Pooja Shrivastava
Elsewhere, in Croydon, Nisa retailer
Benedict Selvaratnam (also known as Ben)
is having similar concerns about this new
added layer of complexity. Sharing Godha-
nia’s concern, Ben also fears both customer
backlash as well as delays in service at the
till.
Ben said, “The added layer of complexity
will slow down transactions at the point of
sale, leading to potential delays, especially
in busy stores like ours where every minute
counts.”
Retailers like Bobby Singh, who
manages BB Nevison Superstore and Post
Ofce in Pontefract, fear these measures
force them into adversarial roles with
customers.
Sharing his apprehensions, Singh told
Asian Trader, “Through such laws, the
government is basically expecting us to
question grown adults on their choices. We
will be questioning grown-up responsible
adults on their freedom of choice and this is
just going to cause confrontation for me and
my teams.”
Across the border in
Wales, independent
retailer Trudy Davies,
who runs Woosnam and
Davies News in Llanid-
loes, is worried about
what she is going to do if
this bill becomes law. She
shares her apprehension
over the strain the law
would impose on her already overburdened
staf.
Davies told Asian Trader, “When adult
customers are asked for ID – it then becomes
a ‘flashpoint’ for disruptive purchasers
whom the store staf will have to deal with.
Their anxiety levels and stress with just
daily things they deal with is enough for
them.
“Now with more and more put onto
them, particularly ‘policing’ as part of their
job, it will be more worrisome for us
business owners. Moreover, it is unimagina-
ble how each cigarette or basic tobacco
product will require an ID check every
single time, putting other customers behind
in line waiting to be served.”
Despair in the air as Tobacco
and Vapes Bill Looms
by any of the Channel Islands or the Isle of
Man, European Union photo card driving
licence, or an identity card issued by the
Proof of Age Standards Scheme and bearing
its hologram) to make sure the buyer is
“born after 2009”, thus, majorly extending
transaction times at the till.
Asian Trader reached out to
some of the leading conveni-
ence retailers across the UK,
and the air was thick with
frustration and despair, majorly
over the fact that the govern-
ment is pressing ahead with the
bill, ignoring their pleas.
Highlighting the bill’s
daunting implications, retailer
Neil Godhania, who owns and
runs Neil’s Premier in Peterbor-
ough, heavily criticised the move, saying
that such a law, if it comes into efect, will
put a multi-level burden on retailers.
He said, “The ban requires that stores
verify each customer’s birth year to ensure
they’re not part of the restricted generation,
adding an extra layer of complexity to
existing age verification.”
This increased scrutiny will demand
rigorous staf training, higher operational
costs, and a heightened risk of penalties – all
of which erode the quality of customer
service and increase stress on staf, he
explained.
Not only are these restrictions impracti-
cal, but they also risk exacerbating an
already tense retail environment. According
to ACS 2024 Crime Report,
most colleagues (87 per cent) in
convenience stores have faced
verbal abuse over the last year
while enforcing the law on age
restricted sales has been named
among the top three triggers
for abuse.
With customer abuse cases
at record high levels, Godhania
fears that the bill’s require-
ments will only escalate
confrontations.
Benedict Selvaratnam
Neil Godhania
Trudy Davies