UK Vaping Trend Analysis Shows Reduced Growth, Big Tobacco Companies Weigh In With Explanation

Data from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), a public health charity headquartered in Washington, D.C., shows slowed e-cigarette growth in the U.K. and two of the biggest players in the industry recently weighed in with explanations that may explain why the growth has slowed.

According to British American Tobacco (BAT), which owns the popular Vuse e-cigarette brand, and Philip Morris International (PMI), which makes the IQOS heat-not-burn device, the reasons for the reduced growth might be a lack of new and improved products to appeal to customers and less awareness of vaping’s potential benefits to smokers.

David O’Reilly, the director of scientific research and development at BAT, was quoted by the Financial Times as having said that while customers want new products, those that are out now are “reaching their limits in terms of performance.”

And by Peter Nixon’s account, PMI’s managing director in the United Kingdom, a lot of folks have already tried vaping “and it’s not for everyone,” which may be why products like PMI’s IQOS, which is notably different from electronic cigarettes, prove to be a “game changer” down the line.

IQOS, unlike e-cigs, uses sticks of tobacco instead liquid nicotine. Heating the tobacco sticks, which are known as HEETS, to the point at which an aerosol or vapor is produced. In other words, they too are vaporizers of sorts, only they’re designed for loose-leaf blends instead of liquid blends.

In Japan, IQOS devices have increased dramatically in popularity since their release.

While vaping industry growth in the U.K. may have slowed in comparison to prior years, BAT’s chief executive, Nicandro Durante, indicated earlier this year that the sales of the company’s cigarette alternatives is expected to exceed $7 billion (£5 billion) by the year 2022.

Looking towards this potentially promising future for the industry, both companies see the over 1 billion smokers across the planet, the majority of whom do not use e-cigarettes or similar devices, as vast potential for further vaping industry growth.