Yesterday, the Convenience Store highlighted again what many retailers have been saying for months: the illicit trade in tobacco and vapes is growing, and it’s creating a damaging mix of customer risk and commercial harm.
For responsible retailers, this isn’t just a frustrating background issue, it’s actively de-incentivising compliant retailing. Legitimate businesses invest in training, age checks, refusals, compliant sourcing and proper controls. Rogue traders don’t. They undercut on price, operate outside the rules, and the result is predictable: lawful operators lose sales and customers are exposed to products that may be unsafe, unregulated and untraceable.
The report shares multiple examples of the real-world impact. Glasgow-based retailer Shahid Razzaq says local rogue traders have left him £1,500 a week out of pocket — the equivalent of £78,000 a year. In Kent, Peter Juty reports his Costcutter store is around 20% down in weekly sales due to illicit trade. Elsewhere, Priyesh Vekaria describes losing £300–£500 a week, with losses driven by both reduced sales and lower basket spend as customers turn to cheaper illegal alternatives.
Alongside the financial damage sits the bigger issue of customer safety. Illicit products bypass the safeguards that exist for a reason. They undermine traceability, reduce accountability, and can increase the likelihood of underage access, particularly when unlawful sellers have no incentive to follow the rules. When non-compliant products become normalised locally, it harms trust in the category and the retail environment as a whole.
The article also reflects a growing consensus that enforcement must be stronger and faster. Retailers describe how rogue operators can return to trading quickly, even after action has been taken, because they adapt their behaviour and keep limited stock on premises. The message is clear: removing unlawful operators from our high streets requires sustained action and not sporadic interventions, if we want to protect customers and stop responsible retailers being punished for doing the right thing.
That’s why due diligence matters more than ever. In a high-risk category like tobacco and vapes, it’s not enough to assume policies are working — retailers need evidence that their age verification and refusal controls are being applied consistently, across teams and shifts, not just when a manager is present.
At Serve Legal, we support retailers with age verification test purchasing audits designed to help you demonstrate due diligence, reduce risk, and strengthen standards where they matter most. These audits show whether underage customers can purchase vapes or tobacco, highlight where processes break down, and give you clear actions to tighten compliance before it becomes an incident, a fine, or reputational damage.
To discuss how Serve Legal can support you to increase compliance, evidence due diligence and protect brand reputation through compliance auditing, get in touch with our team.
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