A consultation into the future of vape packaging and how the products can be displayed in store comes to an end in a fortnight, with retailers being urged to have their say to stave off rules that could mandate all vaping products be hidden from view.
The government has a raft of restrictions planned for vapes, all of which are linked to the Tobacco and Vapes Act. This became law in April 2026, bringing with it the ‘generational tobacco ban’, as well as giving ministers powers to introduce new regulations to control vapes.
Those regulations are subject to consultations, the first of which concerned banning smoking and vaping around playgrounds, schools and hospitals, and vaping in cars with children.
The second consultation, which ends at 11:59pm on October 2, 2026 and can be accessed here, asks stakeholders, including retailers, for their views on how vapes should be packaged and how they can be displayed in store. Requiring vapes be hidden from view, as with tobacco products, is one rule being strongly considered.
Deirdre Healy, head of legal & corporate affairs at Imperial Brands, which owns Golden Virginia, Rizla, and the Blu vape range, is urging retailers to contribute to the consultation, saying it “provides a vital opportunity” for them “to shape the government’s final decision on the packaging and in-store display of vapes and nicotine pouches, which are such a footfall driver for many stores”.
Healy warns that if the rules on hidden displays come into force, “retailers will need to invest in additional fixtures and even change counter and store layouts altogether to ensure sufficient space is available”.
She adds that if plain packaging rules come into force then “transaction times are likely to increase” as “it will be much more difficult to differentiate between products” for both staff and customers.
Similar cautions have been sounded by online nicotine pouch and snus store Haypp, whose head of external affairs UK & scientific affairs, Dr Marina Murphy, warns vape stores “will have to redesign and refit their entire premises, replacing open displays with enclosed storage and fundamentally changing how they operate”.
