VPZ Bids for Essential Status

Source from:  Vapingpost 02/19/2021

The UK vaping industry, led by retailer VPZ, is fighting for essential status to stay open during the ongoing and future lockdowns brought on by the pandemic.

VPZ, a premium vape brand and retailer chain in the United Kingdom has issued a petition to parliament, calling on the government to change the industry’s status to “essential” so it can operate during lockdown periods.

If the petition VPZ is circulating among the domestic industry, and consumers reach 10,000 signatories, the government promises to respond with some action. At 100,000 actions, the government will bring the proposal to discussion before Parliament.

This is a portion of the text published with the petition:

“Now more than ever, adult smokers who are ready to switch and those who already have done so need continued access to quality vaping products and support that only specialist vape stores can provide. Considering the pressure that the NHS and local authorities are under, we cannot expect them to be able to provide stop smoking services to all who require them. Government must reconsider the classification of vape shops to ensure we are able to continue the great work in reducing smoking numbers.”

“We are not underestimating the impact of Covid-19 on our community, nor are we asking for a return to normal. Click & collect services, appointment-only operations, or only one customer in the store at a time – there are a number of safe and appropriate solutions to help vapers, but we aren’t seeing sufficient movement towards any action,” said Doug Mutter, director of VPZ, in a press statement sent to Vaping Post via email.