Sainsbury’s mulls putting vape products behind counters

Sainsbury’s is reviewing the sale of vaping products, with plans to put them behind the counters.

The supermarket revealed this in response to a letter from Scottish parliamentarian Gillian Mackay, who asked leading retailers to hide vape products from view in the same way cigarettes are.

“I would like to reassure you that as one of the UK’s largest supermarkets we take our responsibilities seriously. As such, all our vaping products are covered by the Think 25 challenge in the same way as alcohol and cigarettes at our kiosks, checkouts and self-service checkouts,” Sainsbury’s senior government relations manager wrote to Mackay,

“We do not currently have these products behind shutters, but we are in the process of reviewing this and I will update you shortly.”

Mackay, Scottish Greens’ health spokesperson, welcomed the supermarket’s response, but urged for a full ban.

“This is a very welcome step by one of the UK’s largest and best known supermarket brands,” she said. “To hide these from view, as they already do with other health threatening products, is a simple and common sense step to take and would undoubtedly win the support of the public and others.

“Not to do so I fear would send an altogether different message, and I would urge Sainsbury’s to do the right thing, the responsible thing and to do so quickly. I would also encourage Sainsbury’s to use this opportunity to consider going further,” she added.

Earlier, Waitrose has decided to stop selling sell single use vaping products, citing concerns around underage use and environmental impact.