Hey boss!
Stock up &
with your
customers
share a
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Coca-Cola Original
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The Voice of Independent Retailers
Award-winner
The wine life
16th May to 29th May 2025
Volume 37 No. 964
Vape Ban
investigation
Takeaway!
Food and bevs
Lifestyle
Nutrition with attitude
47
Government proposes major
expansion of sugar tax
Food and
Beverages to Go
Dietary and
Lifestle products
20
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4 NEWS
Leader: Absolutely Tariffied
Government proposes major expansion of
sugar tax
Co-op to house UK’s first supermarket
banking hub
Government urged to reconsider zero hours
reform
Baby food brands accused of misleading
parents
Neil Brocklehurst appointed Post Office CEO
Asda fined heavily for selling out-of-date food
Indies call for action as theft reaches record
high
Retailers welcome plans to tackle ‘dumping’ of
cheap goods
Guest column: RTDs: not just a summer fling
Guest column: The Trump tariff effect –
Chinese goods and the future of Britain’s high
streets
10 NEWS FEATURE: Vape
ban: policy without
policing?
With the ban on disposable vapes only weeks
away, the government is banning the product,
not the problem, says Pooja Shrivastava
14 WORLD OF WHOLESALE
A regular round-up of news and views in the
wholesale sector
15 RETAIL CORNER: Four
Cornerstones, One Vision
Who knew that local Budgens could smell like
Paris and sell sausage rolls, too? Well, Avtar
Sid did and it’s working out brilliantly
16 AWARD-WINNER
INTERVIEW: A vintage
success
Pradeep Thangaraj’s journey from Indian
agriculture student to Off Licence of the
Year winner reveals how passion, patience
and precise execution can transform retail
fortunes
18 MOVERS AND SHAKERS
Keeping up with the latest industry moves
and promotions
19 DATA CART
Your at-a-glance guide to the big issues in the
sector
20 FEATURE: FOOD AND
BEVERAGES TO GO
Food and drink-to-go is no longer optional but
rather is an essential margin – and footfall –
magnet every store needs
30 “NOT” TWITTER
The best observations and comments from
retailers (and friends) on the ground
32 MUST STOCK
The latest product news
37 FEATURE: PMPs
With the vast majority of c-store customers
on the lookout for them, PMPs have never
been more important to footfall, revenue and
basket-size
47 FEATURE: DIETARY AND
LIFESTYLE
The wide and loosely-defined category of
Dietary and Lifestyle products presents the
retailer with many interesting and potentially
lucrative merchandising options
52 CLASSIFIED
54 GUJARATI
Adult Soft Drinks
16th May to 29th May 2025
THE VOICE OF INDEPENDENT RETAILERS
VOLUME 37 NUMBER 964
NEWS
4 ASIAN TRADER 16 MAY 2025
Cash Access UK, the organisa-
tion set up to protect access to
cash across the nation, has
partnered with Co-op to open
the first banking hub within a
supermarket setting.
The hub – in Co-op’s
Treorchy c-store in South
Wales – will provide local
residents and businesses with
access to essential banking
services alongside their
shopping.
While more banking
customers are choosing to
bank and pay for things
digitally, there are still many
customers and businesses that
require regular access to cash
and face-to-face banking
services. As a result, the
banking industry in 2022 to
begin the rollout of banking
hubs to help maintain these
services on high streets. 150
hubs are open across the
country.
“We’re thrilled to partner
with Co-op to establish our
Treorchy banking hub
permanently within their
local store,” Gareth Oakley,
CEO at Cash Access UK, said.
The move forms part of Co-op’s
focus on creating added
services in its stores and, to
promote stronger and more
resilient communities.”
Co-op to house UK’s first
supermarket banking hub
Absolutely Tarifed
ithin the next few weeks, whatever size of
tsunami has been unleashed by Trump’s tarif
trade wars will make landfall in the USA, in the
form of massive price hikes on imported goods from every-
where, but especially from China. The consequences are
already in action and rolling towards the shores of America, as
container deliveries into ports have already shrunk 35%,
meaning many empty shelves and angry laid-of truckers very
soon.
It is not the end of the world. US ports receive only about
25% of their cargoes from China, and some goods will still
arrive – although the parts and consumables needed by small
businesses across the USA face disaster because of raised
prices or simply halted supplies. And for American consumers,
there will probably be a nasty inflation shock.
What it really means is the end of the world as we know it.
Globalism is efectively over, at least as far as the USA is
concerned. Even if tarifs are amended, as inevitably they will
be, the trust has been broken, and assumptions fatally
undermined.
For the rest of the world, it is very interesting. As mercan-
tilist China desperately attempts to unload its now-surplus
production elsewhere, a flood of cheap goods is destined to
land on everybody else’s shelves.
This week, however, the UK government said it is going to
ensure this does not happen, and will end the “de minimis”
import duty level – meaning that goods under a certain value
(namely cheap online orders shipped from China, and maybe
via somewhere else to circumvent Chinese re-routing) will
become more expensive.
This is an attempt to save what is left of our manufacturing
industry, which cannot compete on price with dumped
Chinese goods, but also to stave of the deflationary efect of
such dumping. World trade will begin now to re-route itself
around the USA’s tarif walls, and it presents a fantastic
opportunity for very many countries to rediscover the
benefits of real free-trade and mop up the extra benefits of
doing business internationally that America has spurned.
For grocery, and the local store, the mid-term efects are
hard to predict and perhaps cannot be predicted. Much of
what is sold in convenience is locally produced (UK or EU and
so on), so the sector will not sufer from any immediate
efects of US tarifs, although knock-on efects (of countries
not exporting to America) might mean more availability and
lower prices here, and therefore more sales but at lower
margins.
Longer-term, there is reason to be optimistic. World trade
certainly needed shaking up – tarifs and restrictions accrete
like cholesterol in the veins and arteries of trade. Lowering
them (if only to please the USA) will improve circulation, so to
speak. And China, which has grown its economy by hollowing
out those of other countries with its cheap subsidised
products and almost slave labour (10 hours a day, 6 days a week
if you are lucky enough to have an ofce job), certainly needed
reining in. For that, the USA deserves some gratitude.
The government has
launched a consultation
on plans to significantly
strengthen the Soft
Drinks Industry Levy
(SDIL), proposing to
lower the sugar thresh-
old and remove exemp-
tions for milk-based
drinks.
HM Revenue &
Customs and Treasury are
seeking industry views on three
key proposals to expand the scope
of the sugar tax, which was first
introduced in 2018. The consulta-
tion will run until 21 July 2025.
Under the proposals, the
minimum content at which the
levy applies would be reduced
from 5g to 4g per 100ml (a 20%
cut in permissible sugars), while
exemptions for milk-based
drinks and certain milk substi-
tute products would be removed.
In their joint foreword to the
consultation document, James
Murray, exchequer secretary to
the treasury, and Ashley Dalton,
public health and prevention
minister, defended the proposed
changes, citing the continued
high rates of obesity in the UK.
“Our nation faces the
formidable challenge of persis-
tently high rates of obesity and
overweight, afecting nearly
two-thirds of adults and a third of
children. This epidemic costs the
health service an estimated £19
billion a year and the economy an
estimated £15 billion annually,”
they wrote.
Taking a diametrically
opposite view, the Institute of
Economic Afairs (IEA), called for
the levy to be scrapped entirely.
“It should be repealed, not
expanded,” Dr Christopher Snow-
don, Head of Lifestyle Economics
at the IEA, said. “It has been
costing consumers £300 million
a year while childhood obesity
rates have continued to rise.
The final policy will be
confirmed in the Autumn
Budget.
Desperate for cash again, politicians cite health concerns
Government proposes major
expansion of sugar tax
NEWS
16 MAY 2025 ASIAN TRADER 5
Leading UK baby food
brands are falling short on
vital nutritional promises,
with experts warning that
parents are being “misled”
by marketing claims, states
a new report.
According to a BBC
Panorama investigation,
laboratory testing of 18
popular baby food pouch
brands found many lacked
essential nutrients like
vitamin C and iron. The
investigation included
leading names like Ella’s
Kitchen, Heinz, Piccolo,
Little Freddie, as well as own
label brands from supermar-
kets Aldi and Lidl
Some pouches even
packed more sugar than a
one-year-old should
consume in an entire day.
The findings raise
concerns about a lucrative
baby food pouch market that
has become valued for its
convenience and long shelf
life.
Experts cautioned that
these pouches should only
be used sparingly, not as
substitutes for home-cooked
meals, warning that over-re-
liance could pose serious
health risks to young
children.
Savoury pouches
intended as meal replace-
ments contained less than
5% of the daily iron infants
require. In some fruit
pouches, almost all vitamin
C had been lost during
processing, and “no added
sugar” products still
contained high levels of
“free sugars”.
Baby food brands accused
of misleading parents
RTDs: not just
RTDs: not just
a summer fling
a summer fling
Nick Gillett is Co-founder and
Managing
Director of
successful spirits
distributor
Mangrove
Global, as well as
an industry
expert and
commentator. In his column for
this issue, Nick celebrates the
noble RTD, whose convenience
and breadth of choice brings
real sparkle to the chilled
alcohol section
The RTD (ready to drink) category is
no longer just a seasonal sidekick –
it’s fast becoming a fixture in fridges
year-round. Once seen as a novelty
or only for park drinks in the sun,
RTDs are now being taken seriously.
And for good reason.
Consumers want cocktails
without the faf. They want flavour,
familiarity and fun but without
buying a back bar’s worth of
ingredients. A great can of G&T, a
Paloma or Mojito they can grab from
your fridge meets that moment
perfectly. Stocking a smart RTD
range gives shoppers choice,
convenience, and curiosity all in one
recyclable can.
But not all cans are created
equal. The category is booming,
which means there’s a fair few
average (and below average)
options out there. The biggest
mistake retailers can make is filling
the fridge with recognisable names
without tasting what’s inside first.
Big brands can be bland, while
smaller producers are often more
focused on flavour, using real
ingredients and premium spirits.
Take East London Liquor
Company, their Grapefruit Gin &
Tonic and Vodka & Rhubarb sodas
are brilliant examples of how an
independent producer can nail taste,
branding and value in a can.
Think about what spirits already
sell well in your store and then look
for a matching RTD from a trusted
producer. This isn’t just a trend. It’s a
shift in how people are drinking and
your fridge space needs to reflect
that.
The government is being warned
that proposed reforms to zero
hours contracts under the
Employment Rights Bill will put
undue administrative and
financial burdens on employers
in the retail industry, as they rely
heavily on part time, seasonal
and casual workers.
The House of Lords’ first
committee debate agenda on the
Employment Rights Bill
contained guaranteed hours
contracts and penalties for shift
cancellations.
However, consultants RSM
UK said that the bill in its current
form will put undue administra-
tive and financial burdens on
employers, particularly in the
retail and hospitality sectors.
The proposed bill means
employers must ofer workers
on zero or low hours contracts a
guaranteed number of hours,
based on the average number of
hours per week worked – expect-
ed to be over a 12-week reference
period.
The government’s aim is to
end one-sided flexibility and
exploitative zero hours
contracts, ensuring some
security and predictability so
workers can better plan their
lives and finances.
However, a recent British
Retail Consortium survey
highlighted that 70% of HR
directors from leading retailers
felt the Employment Rights Bill
would have a negative impact on
their business, with the biggest
concern being the right to
guaranteed hours.
Several amendments are
being proposed to the right to
guaranteed hours in the House
of Lords, including an extension
of the reference period from 12
weeks and a definition of a “low
hours contract”.
RSM UK’s head of employ-
ment legal services, Charlie
Barnes said, “If the bill is
implemented in its current
form, the general consensus is
that this will lead to a reduction
in hiring.”
Contracts excessively hurt retailers hiring part-time staff
Government urged to
Government urged to
reconsider zero hours reform
reconsider zero hours reform
NEWS/COMMENT
NEWS
6 ASIAN TRADER 16 MAY 2025
The Department for Business
and Trade has appointed Neil
Brocklehurst as chief
executive of Post Ofce.
Brocklehurst, who has
been serving as acting chief
executive since September,
announced a landmark new
banking deal for postmasters
on his first day in post.
The new five-year
partnership with the UK’s
banks and building societies
underpins access to cash for
millions of individuals and
small businesses until
December 2030.
Known as “The Banking
Framework”’, and first
established in 2017, the new
banking deal secures the vital
role of postmasters up and
down the country in providing
critical face to face banking
services to their communities
until at least the end of 2030.
It enables customers of 30
banks and building societies to
use their local post ofce.
“Neil Brocklehurst has
provided stability and strong
leadership to the Post Ofce
over the last year and I’m
looking forward to working
with him to deliver for Post
Ofce customers up and down
the country,” Post Ofce
minister Gareth Thomas said.
Post Ofce said the
extension to its partnership
with the banks and building
societies is integral to
delivering the “New Deal for
Postmasters” that was
detailed in its November
2024 Transformation Plan,
which strengthens postmas-
ters voice in the day-to-day
running of the business and
increases the remuneration
they receive.
As part of the framework,
Post Ofce is improving the
remuneration postmasters
receive for handling cash
transactions and is also
making a major investment in
the automation of cash
services in-branch to reduce
postmasters’ cost-to-serve to
give customers the experience
that they deserve from
modern retailers.
New boss immediately secures banking deal extension
Neil Brocklehurst
Neil Brocklehurst
appointed Post Ofce CEO
appointed Post Ofce CEO
Supermarket Asda has
been fined more than
£400,000 after two of
its Cornwall stores
were found to be selling
out-of-date food.
An investigation by
Cornwall Council’s
Trading Standards
Team found 58
out-of-date food items
were on the shelves of
Asda’s Penryn store on 30
October 2023.
Asda Stores Ltd pleaded
guilty at Plymouth Magis-
trates’ Court on Wednesday
(April 23) to charges of
having unsafe food on ofer
for sale.
Asda said, “safety of our
customers is always our top
priority” and a “new date
code checking process” has
been introduced.
District Judge Jo Matson
said although there were
systems in place to prevent
the sale of food after the
use-by date, they were
not adhered to.
She said the actions
taken by Asda “were not
sufcient” after
concerns were raised by
customers and Trading
Standards.
Cornwall Council
said many of the items
were “ready to eat
foods” including
children’s yoghurts which
were nearly four weeks past
the use-by date.
Asda Stores Ltd was
ordered to pay a fine of
£410,000, prosecutions costs
of £20,582.70 and a victim
surcharge of £2,000.
Asda fined heavily for
selling out-of-date food
Toblerone Dark
Toblerone Dark
discontinued in
discontinued in
UK market
UK market
Mondelēz has confirmed the
discontinuation of Toblerone Dark
(360g) bars in the UK, ending a
55-year run for the dark chocolate
variant. The company said the
decision forms part of its strategy to
adapt its product range to shifting
consumer tastes while supporting
business and retail growth.
“We continuously adapt our
product range to ensure it meets
changing tastes whilst supporting
growth for our customers and
business, and as a result made the
difcult decision to discontinue our
Toblerone Dark bars in the UK,” a
Mondelēz spokesperson said.
Carlsberg maintains
Carlsberg maintains
full-year outlook
full-year outlook
Danish brewer Carlsberg reported a
“solid” start to the year in China but
warned that US tarifs could afect
both consumer spending and raw
material costs going forward.
It maintained its outlook for the
full year despite reporting first-quar-
ter sales slightly below expectation.
Earlier this month, Heineken also
kept profit forecasts for the year
unchanged despite a decline in sales.
Carlsberg reported higher
first-quarter revenue after the
acquisition of UK soft drink company
Britvic, but beer volumes fell
following its loss of San Miguel
distribution rights in Britain.
Philip Morris raises
Philip Morris raises
full-year outlook
full-year outlook
PMI revealed exceptional first-quarter
results, with reported diluted earnings
per share (EPS) growing 24.6% to $1.72
(£1.29) and adjusted diluted EPS
increasing by 12.7% to $1.69. The
tobacco giant has also raised its
2025 full-year adjusted diluted EPS
forecast based on favourable
currency conditions. The company’s
smoke-free business continues to
drive growth, accounting for 42% of
total net revenues and 44% of total
gross profit. Total shipment volume
increased by 3.9% to 187.8 billion
units, with smoke-free products
showing particularly strong growth
at 14.4 per cent.
NEWS
16 MAY 2025 ASIAN TRADER 7
NEWS
In recent weeks, we’ve seen
significant disruption in global
trade patterns following
President Trump’s implemen-
tation of higher tarifs on
Chinese imports to the United
States. The critical question is
whether this influx of Chinese
goods represents an opportuni-
ty or a threat.
The evidence suggests we’re
facing a concerning scenario.
Both Alex Baldock of Currys
and Nick Glynne of Buy It
Direct have reported seeing
early signs of Chinese stock
being diverted to European
markets in what Baldock
described as “a straightforward
dumping way.”
For independent retailers,
already battling online
markets, this represents a
perfect storm. The flood of
Chinese products was prob-
lematic even before the US
tarifs. Now the UK risks
becoming the dumping ground
of choice, particularly through
Temu, Shein, Alibaba, and
Amazon Marketplace.
The core issue isn’t merely
the volume of goods but the
fundamentally uneven playing
field. Our current duty
de-minimis threshold of £135
means billions of products
enter the country duty-free
each year. These items not only
avoid import duties but
frequently circumvent VAT
obligations as well.
Some might argue that
consumers benefit from these
lower prices. While this may
appear true in the short term,
the long-term consequences
paint a bleaker picture. As
independent retailers face this
additional pressure, more high
street shops will close. The
saving on a cheap Chinese
import becomes an illusion
when measured against the
cost to our communities.
For UK manufacturers, the
outlook is equally concerning,
as they face the prospect of
competing against products
dumped at artificially low
prices. This isn’t fair competi-
tion – it’s market distortion that
threatens jobs and businesses.
What should be done? The
answer is clear. First, the
government must remove the
de-minimis threshold entirely,
ensuring all imported goods face
the same duty requirements.
Second, authorities must
enforce VAT regulations to
prevent tax avoidance that gives
online an unfair advantage.
Third, we need stronger
enforcement of safety stand-
ards on all imported products.
For independent retailers,
adaptation remains critical.
Emphasising personal service,
expertise, and community
connection – qualities that
online marketplaces cannot
replicate – will be more
important than ever. At Bira,
we’re working to support our
members through these
challenging times, providing
guidance on diferentiation
strategies and continuing to
lobby for a fairer trading
environment.
The diversion of Chinese
goods from US markets to the
UK following Trump’s tarifs
isn’t merely an economic
footnote – it’s a critical
challenge that demands
immediate attention.
Our message is simple – the
government must act now and
preserve the vital role inde-
pendent retailers play in
communities across Britain.
In his regular column, Bira CEO Andrew Goodacre looks at the
effects and challenges of US tariffs forcing cheap Chinese goods onto
our high streets – and what the government should do
The Trump Tarif efect –
The Trump Tarif efect –
Chinese goods and the future
Chinese goods and the future
of Britain’s high streets
of Britain’s high streets
Mondelēz hit by soaring
Mondelēz hit by soaring
cocoa prices
cocoa prices
Mondelēz International, owner of
brands including Cadbury and
Oreo, reported a significant profit
decline in its first quarter results
yesterday, as the company battles
with unprecedented cocoa cost
inflation.
The company’s diluted earnings
per share plummeted by 70.2% to
just $0.31 (£0.23), while adjusted
earnings per share fell by 18.3% on a
constant currency basis to $0.74.
Despite the challenging
environment, the company
managed to deliver a modest 0.2%
increase in net revenues, with
organic net revenue growth of 3.1%,
partially ofset by unfavourable
volume mix, of -3.5%.
First c-store with Royal
First c-store with Royal
Mail locker
Mail locker
Fresh & Proper in Fordham,
Cambridgeshire, has become the
first c-store in the UK to host one of
Royal Mail’s new parcel lockers.
The locker is now available 24/7
for drop of parcels and will expand
to ofer collection. Label printing is
available, meaning customers only
pay postage online and print by
scanning a QR code at the locker, or
request a QR code if they are
returning a purchase.
Royal Mail launched its locker
network in December to meet
growing demand for convenient
parcel drop-of and collection.
PayPoint partners in
PayPoint partners in
voucher scheme
voucher scheme
PayPoint has entered partnership
with Uber and Deliveroo to expand its
digital voucher service for retailers.
It comes as PayPoint has seen a
rise in popularity of digital vouchers,
with more consumers looking for
local and convenient stores as a
one-stop-shop for errands, parcel
services and gifting. Amidst difcult
economic conditions, purchasing
digital vouchers for money
management, alongside gifting, has
increased. In 2024, 93% of PayPoint
retailers processed digital voucher
transactions in their stores.
Customers can buy vouchers
with any amount between £15 and
£150.
By Andrew
Goodacre, CEO
of Bira (British
Independent
Retailers
Association)
NEWS
8 ASIAN TRADER 16 MAY 2025
The Fed (Federation of
Independent Retailers) has
reiterated calls for government
grants to boost security
measures for smaller stores,
following the news that
incidents of shoplifting have
topped more than half a million
for the first time ever.
According to the latest
statistics, the police in England
and Wales recorded a total of
516,971 cases of shoplifting in
2024, up 20% from 429,873 in
2023.
The Ofce for National
Statistics (ONS) confirmed this
is the highest since current
recording practices began more
than 20 years ago.
In a recent survey of its
members, the Fed found that
72% of those who responded
had experienced shoplifting,
break-ins and damage to
property, while they and their
staf had been physically or
verbally threatened.
The Fed’s National Presi-
dent Mo Razzaq said, “The
numbers are shocking but
come as no surprise to inde-
pendent retailers, as we face
these incidents on a daily basis.
“In realty, this is just the tip
of the iceberg, as many
incidents go unreported due to
lack of confidence in the police
and the justice system to take
appropriate action to tackle
this growing problem.”
Last year, the Fed launched
its Safe, Secure, Supported
campaign, aimed at police as
well as politicians, to back its
call for grants for installing
equipment such as high-quali-
ty CCTV systems.
Association of Convenience
Stores (ACS) has also expressed
concern over record high figures.
Commenting on the record
crime levels, ACS chief
executive James Lowman said,
“It is encouraging that more
theft is being reported, even if
it is still only the tip of the
iceberg.”
Light �ngers lifted one-�fth more goods last year
Indies call for action as
Indies call for action as
theft reaches record high
theft reaches record high
Retailer trade association
Bira “strongly” welcomed
the chancellor’s an-
nouncement of plans to
create a level playing field
for British businesses
against unfair interna-
tional trade practices.
The British Independ-
ent Retailers Association
said Rachel Reeves’s state-
ment represents a “signifi-
cant step forward” in
addressing the concerns it
has consistently raised on
behalf of its members.
The government an-
nounced immediate action
by the Trade Remedies
Authority (TRA), the body
responsible for defending the
UK, against certain unfair
international trade practices.
The chancellor also
announced her intention to
review the customs treat-
ment of Low Value Imports,
which allows goods valued at
£135 or less to be imported
without paying customs duty.
Some of Britain’s
best-known retailers such
as Next and Sainsburys
have called to amend the
treatment, arguing that it
disadvantages them by
allowing international
companies to undercut
them.
Speaking in Washing-
ton D.C. at the annual IMF
Springs meetings, Reeves
said free and open trade is
good for the UK, but fairness
needs to be injected into the
global economic system.
“This government is meet-
ing the moment to protect
fair and open trade,” Reeves
said.
Retailers welcome plans to tackle
‘dumping’ of cheap goods
PayPoint publishes extra
PayPoint publishes extra
translated guides
translated guides
PayPoint has launched an additional
3 training guides in Hindi, Tamil, and
Gujarati to boost accessibility for
retailers, following demand for a
broader range of languages.
Positive feedback received from
retailers after the initial launch, with
guides in Sinhalese, Urdu, and Indian
to improve accessibility and usability
for its diverse user base, PayPoint
decided to compile the three
additional translated guide docu-
ments. The translated guides are now
available to download online for the
PayPoint Mini and Connect here.
Retailers will also be sent emails with
the resources on launch.
Tenzing taps investment
Tenzing taps investment
from Heineken UK
from Heineken UK
TENZING has secured investment
from HEINEKEN UK which will
support the ongoing growth of the
natural energy drink and create a
working relationship that will
leverage insights across both
companies. The energy drinks
category is worth £2.2bn in the UK,
growing six per cent year on year, in
which TENZING has quickly become
the fourth-largest functional energy
drink in UK grocery.
The agreement will see HEINEK-
EN UK invest with a minority stake in
TENZING which will continue to
operate independently, with both
businesses able to gain valuable
insights from each other.
NewstrAid releases
NewstrAid releases
Mindful May calendar
Mindful May calendar
Industry charity NewstrAid has
unveiled its Mindful May calendar, a
simple yet powerful tool designed to
support positive mental health and
wellbeing across the newstrade
community. Packed with easy-to-fol-
low daily activities that encourage
emotional self-care, the calendar has
been sent to everyone currently
receiving financial support from the
charity and is also freely available to
download via the NewstrAid website.
As part of its ongoing commit-
ment to mental health, NewstrAid
also provides access to a dedicated
wellbeing website in partnership with
mental health specialists Spectrum.
Life.
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NEWS FEATURE
10 ASIAN TRADER 16 MAY 2025
s the UK government prepares to
outlaw disposable vapes from June 1,
a cloud of confusion and frustration
hangs over the independent retail sector.
While the government cites youth vaping
and electronic waste as the driving forces
behind the ban, retailers on the ground are
sounding the alarm, saying this move is only
set to boost illegal trade and leave honest
shopkeepers to face the customer backlash.
From June 1, those found selling dispos-
able vapes will get a £200 on-the-spot fine in
the first instance, rising to an unlimited fine
and/or a prison sentence of up to two years
for repeat ofences.
The ban specifically applies to vape
devices that are neither
rechargeable nor refillable.
Household names such as the
Elf Bar 600 and Lost Mary
BM600 fall under this category
and will be illegal to sell.
The motivation behind the
ban is understandable. Consid-
ering that five million dispos-
able vapes, containing lithium-
ion batteries, are discarded each
week in the UK, and many of
them not in the right way, some
kind of restrictions and action on proper
disposal were needed for a long time.
But the solution rolled out is raising more
questions than answers. And for many
convenience retailers, it feels less like a
policy for public good and more like a
“strategically targeted attack” on an already
embattled sector.
And the reasons are many, right
from basics to loss of a high-margin
product line to implementation and
scary after-efects.
“This is a half-baked legislation. It’s
almost as if somebody had a bright
idea on their way to a meeting or a
train somewhere, and they have made
a note of it and put it through
Parliament,” One Stop retailer Priyesh
Vekaria said. “It will be the retailers
who will be facing the hardships.”
Reusable devices, such as pod-
With the ban on disposable vapes only weeks
away, the government is banning the product,
not the problem, says Pooja Shrivastava
greater than 2ml, a nicotine strength of
more than 20ml or labels that do not display
manufacturer details and health warnings is
considered “illegal”.
Talking about the users, a recent survey
by Haypp shows that almost a third (32 per
cent) of those surveyed admitted they would
be willing to purchase an illegal vape, which
implies trouble ahead.
With enforcement patchy and demand
steady, legitimate shopkeepers are bracing
for a fresh wave of illicit trading post the ban
that would threaten both their livelihoods
and community safety.
“The government is bringing a piece of
legislation while it is failing to tackle the
already booming illegal vape trade in the UK.
The June 1 ban will need even stronger
enforcement, but they still don’t have many
resources,” pointed out Vekaria.
He cites a recent case in Solihull in
Midlands where the biggest seize of illegal
vapes from retail was reported in March this
year. Within a few days, the store was open
again for trading, he pointed out.
“Since the enforcement is not powerful
enough to deter the illicit trade from
continuing and also because there is so much
money in this that the rogue traders can
aford to pay the fine and carry on
doing the business,” explained
Vekaria, laying bare the harsh truth.
Retailers like Vekaria are not only
bracing for the legislative burden, but
they also fear a significant loss of
basket spend.
“When a store is in a highly-com-
petitive high street with all sorts of
businesses, customers are likely to
choose stores that sell them whatever
they ask for; buyers won’t care much
about the legalities since they are used
to disposable vapes.
Disposable vape ban:
policy without policing?
based and refillable kits, remain legal.
Some retailers like Midland-based
Jayaseelan Thambirajah and Swindon-
based Arjun Patel have already started
shifting their customers towards
refillable devices.
A recent study by University
College London (UCL) study even
claims that popularity of disposable vapes
has fallen, mainly due to vape users switch-
ing to refillable and rechargeable ones in
anticipation of the ban.
However, lack of clarity persists.
Citing an example, Vekaria revealed how
in some cases, vape makers have gone ahead
to quickly transition disposable vapes into
rechargeable ones by adding a
battery pod, making it tricky for
retailers to identify compliant
devices.
Illicit trade
Ironically, those who are not
going to sufer but rather
flourish post June 1 will be rogue
traders and suppliers.
The black market is already
booming with illegal vapes at
the moment. The scale of illegal
vape market can be estimated by the fact
that more than six million illegal vaping
products were seized by Trading Standards
ofcers across England in the past three
years.
However, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Currently, any vape with tank sizes
Priyesh Vekaria