Fed vice president calls for greater action on illicit tobacco at NCS

The Fed’s national vice president Hemanshu Patel has called on the government to provide better resourcing for trading standards in order to tackle the growing trade in illicit tobacco and vapes.

His call came during a panel discussion with fellow retail experts at the National Convenience Show in Birmingham on Wednesday,  April 15.

While the discussion focused on the future of vapes, it touched on the wider issue of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill which is likely to complete its Parliamentary passage shortly, bringing in a slew of changes including the Generational Smoking Ban, licencing of retailers and marketing restrictions on vape and tobacco products.

During the panel discussion, Mr Patel said: “It feels like the independent retailers are punished when illicit traders are not. Unless the government invests in these resources, we won’t see change.”

He added that whilst tobacco sales had fallen in recent years anecdotal evidence – backed by information from law enforcement and central government – indicated that this was not just due to a cessation in smoking but by a growth in the illicit trade. Whilst the Fed has said it is open to certain aspects of the Bill, Mr Patel said there was common concern about measures around licencing, marketing restrictions and the Generational Ban when taken as a whole in the absence of greater trading standards support for retailers.

The forthcoming Bill follows last Summer’s ban of single use vapes. Other upcoming change includes the £2.20 tax per 10ml vape fluid, which will be introduced in a six-month period from October 2026.

Also on the panel was Andrew Dignam, chief commercial officer of Phoenix 2 Retail, and Ian Cawley of Park Garage Group. The Grocer magazine’s Sunneva Moore chaired the panel.

 Commenting after the event, Mr Patel said “Whilst the goal of stopping smoking and vaping for children was right, there is a chance some of the changes in the Bill could unintentionally push adult customers to the black market. We will continue to call on the government to do more on this in this area in the coming months.”