One of Sweden's oldest and largest e-cigarette chains, Vapor Store, has gone underground. Some of the staff are now investing in new and smaller vejp shops in the same premises.
Vapor Store has long had stores in Karlskrona, Halmstad, Linköping, Landskrona and Helsingborg and several of the cities are now without dedicated vejp shops.
But only almost.
Some of the staff took the opportunity to start their own business and are now taking over the stores in Landskrona and (one) in Helsingborg. True Gentlemen's operated by Fredrik Blomberg, former Human Resources and Operations Manager at Vapor Store.
"The most tragic thing is that not all colleagues can stay. Of course, many customers have also reacted negatively to the closure of the Vapor Store. But during the days when we stood and fixed in the store, many have become very positive and happy that we are opening up. It probably went a little faster than we planned, but it's just fun with a challenge" says Fredrik Blomberg to Vejpkollen.
He started True Gentlemen's with Choman Saeed, formerly employed at the Vapor Store but also known for drip-tip manufacturing under the name... Altun vapes. For the time being, they will have a fairly lean workforce.
"To begin with, we're going it alone. There may be two extra people who work weekends and make any substitutions. But otherwise, Choman and I will each take a store." says Fredrik Blomberg.
Tough autumn for e-cigarettes
It has been a tough autumn for the vejp industry, not only in Sweden but all over the world. Crises in the form of serious lung damage because of hazardous solvents in cannabis pods to extensive campaigns from various health organisations, has shaken companies. Along with a harsh and often simplistic reporting in the media sales of vejp products have fallen significantly.
Two major companies, Beyond Vape and now Vapor Store, have recently gone out of business.
Despite this, the Fredrik Blomberg the future of vejpningen in Sweden is bright.
"It is obviously a tough industry with many companies competing for customers. The market is small in Sweden, compared to other parts of the world. But of course I think it will flourish again. Otherwise it would be foolish to start up something new."
The truth about lung damage matters
Attitudes towards e-cigarettes can change very quickly. As in the case of lung disease. It doesn't last forever, says Fredrik Blomberg.
"I've been in the industry for a while, and know that this comes and goes in waves. I also think that the media blackout is starting to change a bit now that the truth about the lung damage in the US is coming out."
True Gentlemen's opens in Vapor Store's old premises in Landskrona and Helsingborg this Thursday or Friday.
"Since Beyond Vape closed earlier this autumn, there is no vejpshop in Helsingborg right now. So we were in a bit of a hurry. Initially, we will have a fairly similar assortment as Vapor Store, but in the future that part will change quite a bit. We want to have a niche against just MTL-vejpning" says Fredrik Blomberg.
