Tobacco & Vaping - Regulatory impacts since May 2017

The selling environment of Tobacco products has changed dramatically in the past few years driven by regulatory changes by both the European Union and the British Government. We’ve explored the Tobacco sales of 1662 convenience stores to understand how the Tobacco category has reacted to these changes.

Cigarettes & Cigars

Cigarettes make up the vast majority of Tobacco sales and have experienced a steady decline in the past 24 months. Cigars are experiencing the same, less steep trend. Increased cost and competition from vaping, as well as overall societal smoking trends are most likely driving this.

Roll Your Own (RYO)

In terms of value,Roll Your Own (RYO) has seen a significant increase in its rate of sale however this does not reflect stronger sales as demonstrated by units. Instead, it is most likely due to the lack of smaller, lower cost packs now available.

Vaping & e-cigarettes

Vaping is growing as a market however, in conversations with our customers we have found that it is also under-served by many convenience stores, offering only a small number of lines with a substantial range only being present in specialist vaping stores.