The Association of Convenience Stores and Bestway Wholesale are both offering guidance to retailers on the new tobacco track and trace regulations which will come into operation on May 20.

The regulations require retailers to have an Economic Operator Identifier Code (registered to their business) and a Facility Identifier Code (for each store or premises which stores tobacco) in order to purchase compliant cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco products from that date.

However retailers have been given a very short timespan to obtain their codes. Applications for retailers with multiple sites opened on Tuesday April 23

To obtain the codes, retailers with multiple sites should apply to the government appointed ID issuer, De La Rue, by the end of April. Retailers that operate from a single site will not be able to apply for their codes until Tuesday April 30.

Retailers operating multiple sites can apply online for their Economic Operator Identifier Code at https://eutpd.uk.delarue.com. To apply for their Facility Identifier Codes, they can request a bulk upload form by emailing Julie.Byers@acs.org.uk.

The ACS has launched a guide to the regulations which is available to download at http://bit.ly/trackandtraceguide.

Meanwhile, more than 2,000 wholesale and best-one customers of Bestway have signed up for support via the company’s website, which offers to obtain the relevant codes on behalf of retailers.

Bestway Wholesale has a service on its website which enables Bestway to register on the retailer’s behalf, as soon as the UKID portal opens.

Retailers will need their codes when purchasing the new Track and Trace compliant tobacco products from their wholesaler from the 20th May 2019.

Kenton Burchell, trading director at Bestway Wholesale, said: “The new Track and Trace legislation will have a positive impact if it prevents illicit trade and improves public health. However the short timescales the industry and government departments have been working to has put a lot of pressure on the industry.

“We’re playing our part in helping all retailers prepare for the legislation which comes into effect on 20th May. All customers need to do is visit the track and trace page on our website, where they can verify the details we hold for them and give us permission to apply for the codes on their behalf.”

For more information, retailers can visit www.bestwaywholesale.co.uk/trackandtrace or www.gov.uk/guidance/selling-and-storing-tobacco-products.

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