• New polling research demonstrates significant support for harsher punishments for retailers who are caught breaking the law selling vapes to the underage.

• Majority of public brand proposed new £200 fines for shopkeepers caught selling vapes to children as “too low”

• Strong support for “Three Strikes And You’re Out” rule to ban vape retailers permanently if they breach new vape license three times

The Government must introduce tougher punishments on retailers in order to tackle underage vaping and curb illicit vape sales, according to a new study of almost 6,000 members of the public.

More than half of those polled dismissed the Government’s plans to introduce £200 on the-spot fines for shopkeepers caught illegally selling vapes to children as too lenient, with almost two thirds saying the fine is too low. When given a list of different options on the amount shopkeepers should be fined if caught, the highest level of support amongst respondents was for fines of up to £1,000 (30%).

BAT UK, the UK’s largest vaping manufacturer, commissioned the survey from independent research group Britain in Focus, in response to the Government’s proposed measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

BAT UK had also consistently called for tighter regulation of the UK vape market including the introduction of a retail license scheme, as was proposed recently by Government. Once brought in, this means vapes can only be sold by someone with a licence. However, the Government has yet to confirm when this scheme will be brought into force and what the punishments will be for those retailers who repeatedly breach their licence.

Only 1% of those polled are content to wait longer than two years for the scheme to be introduced, with a majority (52%) of the public wanting the licence brought in within the next three months.

Support for strict punishments was also very high, with 67% in favour of retailers losing their licence permanently if they are caught breaching it three times. In comparison, just 22% of respondents supported a temporary licence suspension on this basis, whilst 2% thought there should be no change to a retailer’s licence if they break the law.

BAT UK shares the UK’s ambition to be smoke-free by 2030 and recognises the important role vaping products will play in achieving this. Today, BAT UK is therefore supporting the public’s call on the Government to enforce tougher punishments for those retailers who sell vapes to children and stock illicit products.

Asli Ertonguc, Head of BAT UK & Western Europe said: “The results speak for themselves. The public clearly do not feel the punishments in the current proposals are tough enough to protect the underage. We need to have an open conversation about appropriate regulation and enforcement while keeping vapes as a vital tool for adults to help the UK reach its smoke-free 2030 goal.

“A retail licensing system is a step in the right direction. However, without increased fines and stricter punishments, unethical retailers will simply continue to break the law. For a vape license to be effective, retailers must know that if they abuse it, they lose it.

“With the Tobacco and Vapes Bill still progressing through Parliament, the Government must act fast. The new laws clearly needs tougher sanctions to give it the teeth to punish those who sell to children or stock illegal vapes. Without such enforcement, the Bill will fail to achieve its desired impact.”

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

Britain in Focus commissioned Electoral Calculus to undertake a poll of 5,948 people from 20 – 26 November 2024.

Data of that subgroup were weighted to be demographically representative of all GB adults by gender, age, social grade, other demographics and past voting patterns.

In early 2024, BAT UK commissioned polling which showed that overwhelmingly 89% of the UK public support the introduction of a vape retail licence scheme.

BAT UK also commissioned polling of retailers which found that 76% of shopkeepers were also in favour of the creation such a scheme.

Find out more about BAT UK’s proposals to help Britain become smoke-free here: British American Tobacco - BAT supports smoke-free UK (https://www.bat.com/supportsmoke-freeuk)

As part of BAT's work to better inform regulators and governments across the globe, in September, BAT launched Omni™ - a resource and platform that makes an evidence-based case for Tobacco Harm Reduction. Omni™ explores the science and real world evidence behind potentially reduced-risk alternatives to cigarettes, and the role they can play in improving global public health outcomes.

To sign up for exclusive access to the Omni™ and its future updates, click here: Get full Omni™ (https://www.asmokelessworld.com/gb/en/download-form)

About BAT (www.bat.com )

BAT is a leading, multi-category consumer goods business. Our purpose is to create A Better Tomorrow™ by Building a Smokeless World. This commitment is demonstrated by our ambition to generate 50% of our revenue from non-combustible products by 2035.

The company continues to be clear that combustible cigarettes pose serious health risks, and the only way to avoid these risks is not to start or to quit. To help Build a Smokeless World, BAT encourages those who would otherwise continue to smoke to switch completely to scientifically-substantiated alternatives.

BAT aims to have 50 million consumers of its non-combustible products by 2030 and to generate £5 billion of New Categories revenue by 2025. BAT has a range of Sustainability targets, including a 50% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions and a 50% reduction in Scope 3 GHG emissions by 2030 (vs 2020 baseline), and 100% of packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.

BAT employs over 46,000 people and, in 2023, the BAT Group generated revenue of £27.28 billion, with an adjusted profit from operations of £12.46 billion.

The company’s Strategic Portfolio is made up of its global cigarette brands and a growing range of nicotine and smokeless tobacco products. These include our Vapour brand Vuse; our Heated Product brand glo; and Velo our Modern Oral (nicotine pouch) brand. These New Category products have delivered more than £3 billion in annual revenue since their introduction a decade ago.

We currently have 24 million consumers of non-combustible products, the revenue from which accounted for 16.5% of Group revenue in 2023.

* Based on the weight of evidence and assuming a complete switch from cigarette smoking. These products are not risk free and are addictive.

† Our vapour product Vuse (including Alto, Solo, Ciro and Vibe), and certain products, including Velo, Grizzly, Kodiak, and Camel Snus, which are sold in the U.S., are subject to FDA regulation and no reduced-risk claims will be made as to these products without agency clearance.

Forward-looking statements

This release contains certain forward-looking statements, including "forward-looking" statements made within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as "believe," "anticipate," "could," "may," "would," "should," "intend," "plan," "potential," "predict," "will," "expect," "estimate," "project," "positioned," "strategy," "outlook", "target" and similar expressions. These include statements regarding our customer target ambition, New Categories revenue targets and our ESG targets.

All such forward-looking statements involve estimates and assumptions that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors. It is believed that the expectations reflected in this release are reasonable but they may be affected by a wide range of variables that could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated. A review of the reasons why actual results and developments may differ materially from the expectations disclosed or implied within forward-looking statements can be found by referring to the information contained under the headings “Cautionary Statement” and "Group Principal Risks " in the 2023 Annual Report and Form 20-F of British American Tobacco p.l.c. (BAT).

Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in BAT's filings with the U.S.

Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including the Annual Report on Form 20-F and Current Reports on Form 6-K, which may be obtained free of charge at the SEC's website, http://www.sec.gov and BAT’s Annual Reports, which may be obtained free of charge from the BAT website www.bat.com.

Past performance is no guide to future performance and persons needing advice should consult an independent financial adviser. The forward-looking statements reflect knowledge and information available at the date of preparation of this release and BAT undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

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