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As many as three-quarters of vape stores are predicted by The Local Data Company never to reopen
Vape brand and retailer VPZ has launched a petition to parliament calling for essential status for specialist vape stores.
The petition wants the stores to be allowed to open “in a safe and controlled manner” during lockdown.
“We are not underestimating the impact of Covid-19 on our community, nor are we asking for a return to normal. Click & collect services, appointment-only operations, or only one customer in the store at a time – there are a number of safe and appropriate solutions to help vapers, but we aren’t seeing sufficient movement towards any action,” said Doug Mutter, director of VPZ.
The association is warning that without vape stores, former smokers “could be tempted back” to cigarettes
Trade body the UK Vaping Industry Association is lobbying government to classify vape shops as essential retailers.
The lobbying effort has been ongoing since the first national lockdown in March, but the association has redoubled its efforts, warning that former smokers who have made the switch to electronic alternatives “could be tempted back”.
Furthermore, UKVIA says, many smokers will have made new year’s resolutions to quit, with vaping a good way to help them achieve this ambition.
“It’s not just about providing a lifeline to vape businesses during lockdown, but also to vapers and smokers for whom vaping represents a life-changing decision,” said John Dunne, director general of the UKVIA.