It will soon be possible to buy disposable vejps at COOP, one of Sweden's largest store chains. The news comes after VONT signed an agreement with the co-operative to supply e-cigarettes to 800 COOP stores across Sweden.
"It's really a victory, not only for us as a company but for the whole concept of e-cigarettes and harm reduction. We want to create a smoke-free society and we are well on our way," says Ramin Warda, CEO of Swedish VONT, headquartered in Jönköping.
The market for e-cigarettes has grown enormously in the last five years. Although the technology has been more or less widely available since 2010, specialised sales in vejpshops have now been joined by mainstream shops. According to the Central Association for Alcohol and Drug Information (CAN), e-liquid sales have increased by 550% since 2021, from 4 000 litres to 26 000 litres per year. The so-called disposable models, vejps in popular parlance, are simply easy to sell and have become popular in the same shops that sell cigarettes and snus.
"We are not big tobacco"
At the same time as e-cigs and white snus have grown in popularity, cigarette sales have declined rapidly, according to CAN. And this is naturally attracting new retailers to join the game.
"We're not Big Tobacco, who can do as we please, but have had to fight for every single shelf metre at the retailers. It wasn't easy to sell a product that nobody really knew what it was. But since we and some other distributors have shown that e-cigs can be sold as easily as white snuff or cigarettes, it has grown very quickly." Ramin Warda tells Vejpkollen.
Taking off with disposable models
Ramin Warda started VONT in 2020, initially focusing on small pod systems with pre-filled pods. The products were mainly sold in small vejp shops and online. But it was only when they launched their own single-use models that business really took off, says Ramin Warda.
"We have tripled our turnover in two years. At the same time, like everyone else selling smokeless nicotine products, we've had to learn to navigate the complicated regulatory framework that is constantly being reinterpreted by the authorities. It's not like you stop working when you get home," Ramin warda told Vejpkollen.
Competing with Chinese giants
Today, VONT is the only fully Swedish brand on the e-cigarette market. The competition, mainly from Chinese brands, is brutal, says Ramin Warda. Despite this, VONT, together with the UK's N-One, accounts for almost two-thirds of sales of disposable models. At least at some of the largest national retailers, according to Nielsen statistics. Major international brands such as the Chinese Elf Bar and Frunk Bar share the rest with VUSE, owned by British American Tobacco.
"The advantage of starting small is that you get good at building honest and open trust between buyers and sellers. We've been building this up for a few years now, getting a clientele that trusts us. And the fact that a chain like COOP decides to invest in e-cigs and chooses to start with us is a huge confirmation that what we do matters."
Cigarettes are being phased out
Ramin Warda says the huge interest in e-cigarettes and other smoke-free products is a sign of the times. Vaping is a technology that was developed to help smokers quit, which has proven to be very effective. Although the majority of e-cigar users are former or current smokers, the appeal of smokeless products naturally extends to non-smokers. This is particularly true in the younger age groups of 18-35 years. At the same time, statistics from CAN show that the use of e-cigarettes and white snus in particular has not increased the use of nicotine overall. According to CAN, the proportion of nicotine users has remained at the same level since 2019 - while smoking has fallen to record low levels in Sweden.
Focusing on the nicotine
Nevertheless, criticism from the anti-tobacco movement is increasingly focussed on restricting the availability and design of smokeless nicotine, i.e. e-cigarettes and white snus, instead of fighting smoking. The previous government, at the suggestion of Non Smoking Generation and the government-funded think tank Tobaksfakta, tried to ban the flavourings in e-cigarettes and nicotine liquid. This proposal was voted down by the Parliament and instead led to a change in the target for the tobacco package, with smokeless products likely to be favoured over the more harmful cigarettes.
"Not sustainable with disposable vejps"
Although criticism of e-cigarettes has become increasingly vocal, Ramin Warda is excited by the developments. He believes the next step is to get the market to accept rechargeable models instead of disposable vejps.
"The disposable models have been very good at establishing e-cigs in a wider context. Of course, we, like many others in the industry, realise that this is not sustainable for the environment in the long run." Ramin Warda told Vejpkollen.
"The industry must find the solutions"
The environmental argument, as well as concerns that e-cigarette use among minors has increased since the introduction of the disposable models, has led some countries such as Belgium, France and the UK to ban the sale of disposable vejps. At the same time, several major companies are launching alternatives to the disposable variants. The new devices can be refilled and recharged without being different from classic disposable models or costing more. According to Ramin Warda, this is a hallmark of the industry and a good way to solve problems in the market.
"We have already developed products that are both rechargeable and refillable, a variation of what we actually started five years ago. The challenge is to keep the products attractive to customers and retailers. Road users may be willing to buy certain parts separately, but it is not a given that a retailer can sell them that way. We will have to find new package solutions. I'm sure it will work out in the end," says Ramin Warda.
Currently, COOP sells mainly cigarettes and snus in different flavours, but also heat-not-burn products (iqos). Sales of e-cigarettes are expected to start in the near future.
