VPZ in the UK has set up a “vape clinic” to provide comprehensive services for harm reduction.
With the growing popularity of vaping products worldwide, the concept of “tobacco harm reduction” is gaining more and more public attention, and as the demand for “tobacco harm reduction” grows, the related services need to be upgraded and segmented.
VPZ, the UK’s largest vaping retailer, has announced that it will set up its first “vape clinic” to meet the expanding demand for “tobacco harm reduction” in the UK.
“VPZ is a popular brand in the UK and was one of the first major vape brands to offer vaping-related consultation services to patients and GPs in NHS Trust hospitals.
The “vape clinic” can be understood as a new model of a vape store, in addition to the regular sales function, “vape clinic” will also be staffed by professionals, similar to the popular “personal trainer” in the fitness industry, can be based on the actual situation of each customer to develop a “tobacco harm reduction program”. The program includes what products to use, the concentration of nicotine, and the frequency of use, will also track the user’s use of data, based on feedback to adjust and improve the program.
The concept of the “vape clinic” is based on the “smoking cessation clinic” service in UK hospitals, which was heavily restricted when the epidemic began, and the vape stores were classified as “non-essential” by the government and were not allowed to open during the closure period, which resulted in a large number of people with harm reduction needs not receiving the services and help they needed during the epidemic.
Now that the epidemic is beginning to abate in most parts of Europe, the UK, and the US, VPZ believes that now is a good time to promote this new concept and, with its channel strengths, will also build a network of “Stop Smoking Coaches” throughout the UK’s vape retail stores, first covering the entire country and then trying to expand to more countries.
Doug Mutter, head of VPZ, said this new model is important to reduce the harm caused by “the NO.1 health killer – smoking”, not only to further improve the level of service to users but also to provide expert professional advice to the vaping user community.
We are delighted to launch the vape clinic concept at a time when demand is increasing and we realize that the vaping industry and users need a new, better, and more effective service model as we reopen our doors to provide services,” said Mutter. The impact of the epidemic has made it difficult for people to access vaping products and related services, and the government has drastically cut smoking cessation clinics and NHS cessation services, which is a devastating threat to the UK’s efforts to reduce smoking rates.”
“This, coupled with the definition of vape stores as a non-essential category, means that the UK will struggle to continue to make great strides in reducing smoking. We have seen this growth and are working hard to provide a more professional service to those who need help.”
VPZ also announced that the new “vape clinics” will be completely free by 2030, providing a professional service to all those in need of tobacco harm reduction.
During the previous epidemic and the Great British Closure, VPZ sent a petition to Parliament calling on the government to change the status of the vape industry to “essential” so that vape stores can operate normally during the closure period and continue to provide essential services to users of vaping products.
VPZ argues that the closure has created an environment where smoking rates have increased dramatically, although not intentionally, but the data shows that smoking rates are increasing dramatically, vape stores are closing, there are no more cessation services, and the supply of cigarettes is at an all-time high.
VPZ cites survey data from the UK Department of Public Health, where 29% reported higher smoking rates during the closure. VPZ corroborates this with its findings, with 26% of smokers reporting a significant increase in the number of traditional cigarettes they smoked during the closure. During the epidemic closure, places, where vape stores were allowed to remain open such as Finland, France, Switzerland, Denmark, Italy, Romania, Norway, the Netherlands, Cyprus, and Sweden, saw little change in smoking, while in the UK, Ireland, Spain, Belgium, and Germany, where governments forced vape stores to close, smoking increased significantly.
The development of VPZ is also quite legendary, as a day two packs of cigarettes of the old smoker, Callum Henderson once in a bar accidentally experienced a friend’s electronic cigarette, did not expect that since then electronic cigarettes helped him to quit cigarettes, Henderson Call saw the infinite value of electronic cigarettes, and began to do the electronic cigarette business.
Henderson and his brother, Connor, who is also a former smoker, opened the company in Leith in 2012. Initially named Vaporized, the company rebranded in 2019 with an updated logo.
In 2019, VPZ already has its headquarters and manufacturing operations at Terston House in Edinburgh, Newbridge, to become the top e-cigarette specialist brand in the UK. At that time, VPZ had grown to have around 500 employees and around 130 stores and was still growing. The target set at the time for 2021 was 300 stores and double the number of employees.
VPZ grew its business by 17% to around £26.5m in 2018 and was awarded as the top hundred company by “the Sunday Times” twice.
A good model requires a good environment and soil, and VPZ’s new model of “vape clinics” will only work in the UK, a country with a positive attitude towards e-cigarettes. However, in the long run, with the popularity of smoking hazards and the growing public health awareness, “vape clinics” will indeed become a reasonable new model for vape stores, provided, of course, that they are recognized and supported by the public and relevant authorities.
