Dhamecha, United Wholesale to list JUUL products

JUUL said its products will be available from two major cash and carry businesses from 1 January.

Dhamecha Group, which operates nine depots across London and the Midlands, and Glasgow-based United Wholesale will begin listing a range of JUUL products.

“The vaping category is an area that offers independent retailers huge scope for growth and we are delighted to be working with JUUL Labs to help customers realise the potential of the category,” said Mukesh Vithlani, trading director at London-based Dhamecha.

John Patterson, sales director of JUUL Labs UK, said: “Cash and Carry is a key route to market for many independent retailers and our partnership with Dhamecha will increase our footprint across London and also give us additional availability in Birmingham and Leicester.”

JUUL said it has been highly selective in entering the wholesale channel as each retailer has to sign up to JUUL’s Challenge 25 programme.

“JUUL and all vaping products are for adult smokers and existing nicotine users only and Challenge 25 is mandatory for all retailers regardless of channel or size, so for JUUL Labs it is not simply a case of putting product on shelf in wholesale,” Patterson added.

“We also have to ensure that any third parties we supply including wholesalers align with our policy of signing up retailers to enforce the necessary age-verification procedures to ensure that our products do not get into the hands of unauthorised users and in particular youth.

“We are working with each wholesaler to introduce robust age verification programmes in depot and online to prevent youth usage and help keep retailers within the law.”