BBC News: Up in smoke: Is the vape shop boom about to end?

[mustybadger]

It’s consolidation time, just like the TPD did to the juice business.

There’s simply far too many B&Ms for the market to sustain, and a wedge of them appreciate nothing about how to run a good business.

One bloke I visited for the article I wrote about it clearly hated people, the public and potential shoppers. We got on well. But there he was, locked into a lease agreement on a property he couldn’t afford with kit he can’t sell and no clue what to do about it. Lying about atomisers was his chosen route - I’m really not sure that’s a strategy that will pan out in the long term.

Completely agree. I recently went on holiday to a very small village in the middle of Wales. Must have been a population of, maybe, 100 people max? The village consisted on 4 B&B's, 1 pub, a co-op and...2 vape shops. If that doesn't point toward over-saturation I don't know what does.

I also don't understand the mentality of a lot of vape shop owners. In an over-saturated market, you would think that they would be looking for things that make them stand out, but I've found that the majority of them are just a hang-out place for the owners and their mates or they stack the shelves with completely overpriced items. My most recent visit consisted of the shop trying to charge me £20 for a 5-pack of Nautilus coils...I mean, really?

Much like the juice effect pre-TPD, I feel that options are good, but when you have a new juice line coming through on a daily basis, it just becomes impossible for the industry to maintain. As much as I love vaping, and want to see the industry succeed, I do feel like the industry requires a "system-flush" and the quick-buck cowboys to be flushed out and for consumers to be left with reputable shops, in much the same way that juice lines needed the same.

 

[Mawsley]

The TPD has its faults, but driving shoddy bedroom brewers from the market wasn't one of them - although I'm amazed that some still make concentrates to flog on through third parties. In my world this would be addressed, there's no quality control going on or anything. I don't want cat hair or whatever's under their fingernails in my eliquid.

I still reckon there are gaps in the vendor market. I've an idea for a chain that's cracking, but (like others) I'm a few hundred thousand from being able to start it up. It's all about looking for that angle that isn't catered for. I've got an idea for how to make computer games shops work too, in a similar vein to my vape store plan. Knowing me I'll do nothing about it as it interferes with dog walking and general fuckery.

 

[oldhippydude]

The traditional vendors of baccy (supermarkets, corner shops, filling stations) are already in the market selling simple vape devices. As the simple devices get better and more effective they are going to take more of the market back from the vape shops.

High power vaping and the whole rebuilding side of the market will become increasingly niche and will be catered for by companies selling on the internet, some of whom will have shops in the larger cities. The rest of the vape shops will become history. Vape shops will be about as common as the kind of traditional tobacconists that sell obscure pipe tobaccos and cigars.

On here we are not representative of most vapers. Most vapers just want to buy a simple device to deliver nicotine. Until recently they probably bought a device from the supermarket that did not quite do the job, so went to the vape shop to be sold a 200w box and a cloud machine. Increasingly they will be going to the supermarket and buying something that does the job and that will be that.

 

[eyeball kid]

The traditional vendors of baccy (supermarkets, corner shops, filling stations) are already in the market selling simple vape devices. As the simple devices get better and more effective they are going to take more of the market back from the vape shops.

High power vaping and the whole rebuilding side of the market will become increasingly niche and will be catered for by companies selling on the internet, some of whom will have shops in the larger cities. The rest of the vape shops will become history. Vape shops will be about as common as the kind of traditional tobacconists that sell obscure pipe tobaccos and cigars.

On here we are not representative of most vapers. Most vapers just want to buy a simple device to deliver nicotine. Until recently they probably bought a device from the supermarket that did not quite do the job, so went to the vape shop to be sold a 200w box and a cloud machine. Increasingly they will be going to the supermarket and buying something that does the job and that will be that.

Spot on.
Went into asda yesterday to be confronted with a three faced display at the cigarette counter. One with decent quality mods and coils (innokin t series featured heavily), one with all 50/50 liquids and one with 70/30 juices including dinner lady.
Dinner lady's new nic salt lemon tart has clearly been developed with the supermarket vaper in mind as it was previously predominantly a low nic juice aimed at vape shops. 20mg nic salts in a sub ohm set up would and has floored me.
Supermarkets know what they are doing. They've been employing market expertise for a long time.
This will be a huge change and all our favourite brands really should already be in talks with the supermarkets as this will be the future.
Totally wicked already have displays or small concession stands in all the esso garages around here.

 

[Rickster]

The over saturation of vape shops in some area's is akin to nail bars n tanning saloons...of which I have been in neither, but they do...do exceedingly well.....apparently

 

[eyeball kid]

The TPD has its faults, but driving shoddy bedroom brewers from the market wasn't one of them - although I'm amazed that some still make concentrates to flog on through third parties. In my world this would be addressed, there's no quality control going on or anything. I don't want cat hair or whatever's under their fingernails in my eliquid.

I still reckon there are gaps in the vendor market. I've an idea for a chain that's cracking, but (like others) I'm a few hundred thousand from being able to start it up. It's all about looking for that angle that isn't catered for. I've got an idea for how to make computer games shops work too, in a similar vein to my vape store plan. Knowing me I'll do nothing about it as it interferes with dog walking and general fuckery.

It's like my idea for brokering an advertising deal between purina pet foods and the loveable rougues terrorvision to 're record their one hit wonder Tequila (it makes me happy) to Purina (it makes cat's happy).
It's a million dollar idea but ultimately it will interfere with my general procrastination to do it. I'm more likely to give the idea away whilst idly chatting on a vape forum.

 

[Mawsley]

It's like my idea for brokering an advertising deal between purina pet foods and the loveable rougues terrorvision to 're record their one hit wonder Tequila (it makes me happy) to Purina (it makes cat's happy).
It's a million dollar idea but ultimately it will interfere with my general procrastination to do it. I'm more likely to give the idea away whilst idly chatting on a vape forum.

100% awesomeness

 

[vapellie]

I also don't understand the mentality of a lot of vape shop owners. In an over-saturated market, you would think that they would be looking for things that make them stand out, but I've found that the majority of them are just a hang-out place for the owners and their mates or they stack the shelves with completely overpriced items.

I think that's because a lot of B&Ms were set up by either hobbyist vapers or by small shop owners trying to make a quick buck. The vast majority of vape shops aren't run by professional retail managers, and the few chains that are carving out their niche probably realise that us vape nerds are a lost cause - I think it's fair to say that most of us don't buy our vape gear and liquids from B&Ms, I don't even think we go in for advice (actually the lovely vape vendor near me doesn't know as much of the newest vape gear as I do, although he is knowledgeable about his stock).

This is pretty standard trajectory for new technology though, it will go through a period of consolidation, many shops will close, and prices will begin to settle. The shops that remain won't be the ones we would consider the 'best' or the most knowledgeable, they will be the ones with the best business accumen, access to finance and growth. Totally Wicked and Vaporized are here to stay.

I'd love to see some innovation in vape shops, but at the same time I can't picture how I'd go about it. I'd probably make it more pub/cafe for vapers with a smaller section on selling liquids and very little in the way of hardware. Before TPD came along, I thought it would be really cool to set up a vape cafe a bit like a shisha bar, where you can borrow a dripper all clean and rewicked, and buy small vials of a few ml of juice at a time to try them out along with your coffee/pint. Or perhaps a tankful's worth of juice, I don't know. A reason for more veteran vapers to attend more frequently rather than the rare occasion when we fancy some different juice or whatever.

 

[eyeball kid]

I think that's because a lot of B&Ms were set up by either hobbyist vapers or by small shop owners trying to make a quick buck. The vast majority of vape shops aren't run by professional retail managers, and the few chains that are carving out their niche probably realise that us vape nerds are a lost cause - I think it's fair to say that most of us don't buy our vape gear and liquids from B&Ms, I don't even think we go in for advice (actually the lovely vape vendor near me doesn't know as much of the newest vape gear as I do, although he is knowledgeable about his stock).

This is pretty standard trajectory for new technology though, it will go through a period of consolidation, many shops will close, and prices will begin to settle. The shops that remain won't be the ones we would consider the 'best' or the most knowledgeable, they will be the ones with the best business accumen, access to finance and growth. Totally Wicked and Vaporized are here to stay.

I'd love to see some innovation in vape shops, but at the same time I can't picture how I'd go about it. I'd probably make it more pub/cafe for vapers with a smaller section on selling liquids and very little in the way of hardware. Before TPD came along, I thought it would be really cool to set up a vape cafe a bit like a shisha bar, where you can borrow a dripper all clean and rewicked, and buy small vials of a few ml of juice at a time to try them out along with your coffee/pint. Or perhaps a tankful's worth of juice, I don't know. A reason for more veteran vapers to attend more frequently rather than the rare occasion when we fancy some different juice or whatever.

It would be an excellent idea for a cafe / bar situation where you can buy juice by the optic to enjoy in the cafe and possibly buy a bottle before you go but the quagmire of legality and uncertainties of the future probably make it an unlikely option.
If our town is anything to go by the high street is dying a death too.
Probably a same day home delivery business is likely to do better.

 

[eyeball kid]

It would be an excellent idea for a cafe / bar situation where you can buy juice by the optic to enjoy in the cafe and possibly buy a bottle before you go but the quagmire of legality and uncertainties of the future probably make it an unlikely option.
If our town is anything to go by the high street is dying a death too.
Probably a same day home delivery business is likely to do better.

The old avon / candle parties of the 80's come to mind as a good way to sell gear and juice.