Philip Morris launches closed pod vape system in UK | News

Philip Morris has launched a new closed pod vape – Veev One – in the UK.

The launch comes as the market for the vaping subcategory – where users put pods containing single-use nicotine liquid into a rechargeable device – has grown 35% since January, according to NIQ.

Veev One has launched into Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Waitrose as well as quick-commerce channels and PMI’s direct-to-consumer site Iqos.com.

PMI’s closed pod system has within the last 12 months launched in Italy and Czechia, where the company says it has “surpassed other vape brands” and become “the number one” system of its type.

Veev One currently offers a range of pods in 12 flavours spanning three taste categories: Aromatic, Cooling & Crisp, and Warm. Flavours include Watermelon, Blueberry, Blue Mint, Blue Raspberry, Strawberry, Mango and Tobacco.

“We’re excited to introduce Veev One to the UK market at such a transformative time for the e-cigarette industry,” said John Rennie, commercial director at Philip Morris Limited, the UK & Ireland affiliate of Philip Morris International.

“As the UK market evolves, Veev One stands out as a premium, responsible, and recyclable e-cigarette, with proven success across Europe,” he added.

Alongside the launch, PML has introduced a recycling programme, which rewards customers who return spent pods and devices with a £5 reward toward their next purchase from the Iqos online store.

PML said Veev One “differentiates itself from traditional devices”, thanks to ceramic heating technology within “that delivers consistent taste” and a “low-level e-liquid detection system, designed to keep flavour alive by preventing burnt taste”.

The launch comes just weeks after the launch of Imperial Brands’ “new and improved” Blu Bar closed pod device, which – like the Veev One – claims to offer up to 1,000 puffs per pod.

“As consumers search for vaping solutions that provide even more intense flavours, ease of delivery and competitive pricing, we believe the Blu Bar kit offers a significant sales opportunity for wholesalers and retailers alike,” said Yawer Rasool, UK&I consumer marketing director for Imperial Brands, “as well as providing another revenue stream ahead of the proposed disposable vape ban.”

In January, the then Conservative government announced disposable vapes – the self-contained, non-refillable or rechargeable type devices – would be banned in the UK. The single-use vapes have been “a key driver behind the alarming rise” of underage vaping, the government said, with the proportion of 11 to 17-year-old vapers using disposables increasing almost ninefold in the past two years, according to Action on Smoking & Health (ASH).

The government of the time also laid out its ambition to introduce new powers to restrict flavours “which are specifically marketed at children” and ensure manufacturers produce “plainer, less visually appealing” packaging. Those powers will also allow government to change how vapes are displayed in shops, moving them out of sight of children and “away from products that appeal to them like sweets”.

With the end of the disposable device seemingly inevitable, major disposable brands like ElfBar and SKE have introduced workarounds, with designs in the grey areas of the regulations. Big tobacco firms had also introduced disposable devices, but struggled to compete with the Chinese challengers.

The disposable ban will doubtless shake up the still burgeoning category. Disposables make up 88% of UK vape sales, according to Imperial Brands which, after the ban announcement in February, pushed ahead with the launch of a new, higher puff-count disposable vape.