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Owner of Juice-E-Vaporium in Grantham raises concerns over vape display placement in Morrisons supermarket




The owner of a vaping business has criticised the placement of products in a town supermarket, saying it promotes youth vaping and harms smaller businesses like his.

Josh Ogden, managing director of Juice-E-Vaporium in Grantham, has raised concerns over a vape display located near the toy and Back to School aisles in the Morrisons store in Grantham.

A Squishmallows soft toy stand next to the display, Josh says, makes children more likely to see vaping products.

A vape shop owner has raised concerns over product placement in Morrisons. Photo: Supplied
A vape shop owner has raised concerns over product placement in Morrisons. Photo: Supplied

He described the placement as "highly inappropriate and arguably predatory," stating: "It would be very easy for a child to acquire one, either by stealing it or asking a parent to purchase one on their behalf.

"The display is not only surrounded by things that a child would be drawn to, but it is also filled from ground level, meaning that a child of any age could pick up nicotine-containing products unbeknownst to parents or guardians.”

He said this normalises vaping and encourages young people to take it up.

Josh Ogden says the positioning of the vapes next to toys and back to school products is ‘irresponsible’. Photo: Supplied
Josh Ogden says the positioning of the vapes next to toys and back to school products is ‘irresponsible’. Photo: Supplied

Josh warned that upcoming regulations could make small vape shops financially unviable, while large retailers would not be as affected.

"At a time when the vaping industry faces increased regulation and taxation due to the challenges posed by youth vaping, I believe large companies should do far better," said Josh.

Josh's own shop keeps nicotine products behind the counter, requiring staff assistance. It is illegal to sell nicotine vaping products to anyone under 18 or for adults to buy them on behalf of under-18s.

Josh's own store keeps nicotine products behind the counter, requiring staff assistance. Photo: Supplied
Josh's own store keeps nicotine products behind the counter, requiring staff assistance. Photo: Supplied

He says his store provides expert advice not necessarily available in supermarkets.

He said parents and teachers often wrongly blamed his store when they found vapes on children, though major outlets also sell them.

Josh believes proposed rules on flavours and tax will push vapers back to smoking.

Josh said he had raised his concerns with Morrisons staff in person and by email but had received no response.

A spokesperson for Morrisons admitted the display's location 'is not ideal' and said the store is looking to move it.

However, the supermarket said it was in line with current legislation on vaping products.

"Where possible, we aim to locate vaping products away from areas of the store with products suitable for younger people. However, this is not always possible in all stores," the statement said.

Morrisons said its vape displays were placed in areas with a strong staff presence to deter underage customers.

The supermarket stressed that its stores adhere to Challenge 25 and do not sell flavours that could appeal to younger customers, such as bubblegum.



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