The Co-op has instructed staff to increase the visibility and promotion of vape products in its stores as part of efforts to recover from a major cyber-attack that severely disrupted sales earlier this year.
An internal strategy document, “Powering Up: Focus Sprint: Cigs, Tobacco and Vape,” seen by The Guardian, outlines a plan to boost revenue by expanding the range of vape products, installing new display units, and increasing in-store advertising. The retailer’s sales have yet to recover to pre-attack levels, with the document citing a loss of £1 million in weekly sales and 100,000 fewer customer transactions.
The plan states that around 40% of the sales drop comes from customers developing “new habits” and shopping elsewhere for cigarettes, tobacco, and vapes. Co-op leaders hope that making these products more visible will help regain lost business.
While the initiative complies with UK laws and government vaping guidelines, it has sparked internal criticism among employees who question whether the push aligns with the Co-op’s reputation as an ethical, socially responsible retailer.
One employee said the strategy “goes against everything we’ve done until now,” adding that the move to promote vaping contradicts the Co-op’s ethos of “principles before profit.”
The change comes amid growing concern about youth vaping. Government figures show a sharp increase in under-18s using e-cigarettes, prompting new legislation to ban vape advertising, sponsorships, and child-appealing packaging. England’s chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, has warned: “If you smoke, vaping is much safer; if you don’t smoke, don’t vape.”
A Co-op spokesperson defended the move, saying the company’s commitment to ethical values remains unchanged. “It is important to be clear that the sale of vape products in our stores is fully compliant with all UK legislation and government guidelines, in their recognised role as a successful route to smoking cessation,” they said.
The retailer continues to grapple with the fallout from the April cyber-attack, which disrupted supply chains, forced funeral branches to revert to paper-based systems, and wiped more than £200 million off sales. Co-op expects the incident to cut profits by about £120 million this year.
