The John Lewis Partnership, which operates the John Lewis and Waitrose banners, has announced that Waitrose will no longer sell single-use vaping products.
The retailer previously made the decision not to enter the market for brightly coloured, fashionable, single use vaping devices. Waitrose has now also delisted imitation cigarettes containing lithium, which it historically sold under the Ten Motives label.
The partnership issued a statement citing concerns about the risk these products pose by appealing to younger people – as well the environmental impact.
The John Lewis Partnership also cited reports that suggest market growth is being fuelled by the popularity among those who have not previously smoked.
'Not Something We Could Justify'
In a press release, commercial director for Waitrose, Charlotte Di Cello said, "We are a retailer driven by doing the right thing, so selling single-use vapes is not something we could justify given the impact on both the environment and the health of young people."
She added, "We had already decided it wasn't right to stock the fashionable, bright coloured devices which are seeing rapid growth – so this decision is the final jigsaw piece in our clear decision not to be part of the single use vaping market".
Furthermore, Waitrose claimed the move also comes amid growing environmental concerns about single use vaping devices, containing both plastics and valuable lithium, ending up in landfills.
Plan For Nature
In October, the John Lewis Partnership doubled down on its pledges to protect and restore nature with a new Plan for Nature. This includes a range of new commitments and initiatives to significantly reduce the impact of Waitrose and John Lewis’s commercial activity on the natural world.
As part of the project, the group committed to zero deforestation in the sourcing of key commodities across Waitrose and John Lewis own-brand product supply chains. It also aims to make all key raw materials in own-brand products to be sourced from more sustainable or recycled sources by 2025.
© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Robert McHugh. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
