Vapo growth continues, Sylvia Park next

Media release

Alt New Zealand

Thursday, 22 August 2019

The growth and dominance of Australasian vaping brand Vapo continues with its owners announcing they’ve signed a lease with Kiwi Property Group to open a shop inside New Zealand’s premium shopping mall, Sylvia Park.

Set to open in the south-east Auckland mega-mall in early October, Vapo marks the first vape shop for Sylvia Park.

It will be the ninth Vapo shop for New Zealand, with company owners Jonathan Devery and Ben Pryor advancing other retail sites throughout the North and South islands, with further shop announcements soon.

“The growth in Vapo outlets simply reflects the increasing demand by people to access vaping products. More and more Kiwis are putting their cigarettes down and looking for a healthier alternative. Many prefer an independent and local brand, and we put a big focus on the quality of the shop fit-out too,” says Jonathan Devery.

Late last year the Kiwi entrepreneurs were the first ever vape retailers in Australasia to be accepted inside a large mall, when they opened a Vapo shop in Westfield Manukau Shopping Centre.

“Good on Westfield, and now Kiwi Property, on meeting customer demand and extending their property and mall portfolios to include vaping products.

“Sylvia Park has a huge catchment, the most foot-traffic, and is well situated to benefit from Auckland’s relentless population growth as Australasia’s fastest growing city. Hence, we’re excited that Vapo will be in Sylvia Park very soon,” says Mr Devery.

The Vapo and Alt New Zealand co-founders’ business assent has been rapid since opening their first store in Dominion Road just over two years ago - in March 2017. Today they are the largest Kiwi-owned vaping company.

Their products are now available in over 1,200 outlets throughout New Zealand, including Countdown, Pak'nSave, and New World supermarkets, Mobil, Z, and BP service stations, independent convenience stores, as well their own Vapo-branded retail outlets. The most recent Vapo shop to open was in High Street, central Christchurch in April.

Thanks to their busy online business, they’re also now one of the leading vaping brands in Australia and are looking at further overseas expansion.

Servicing such growth is their factory and laboratory in Auckland’s Penrose, where they manufacture their e-liquids in their IS07 cleanroom using the highest grade imported and local ingredients. The business partners also run a large distribution centre in Auckland’s Mt Wellington and expect to employ over 100 people across their business by the end of this year.

Only adding to its consumer appeal, Vapo is now authorised to use the sought-after ‘Made In New Zealand’ certification mark.

Launched last year, the Alt New Zealand brand has also proven to be a hit. In fact, the vaping entrepreneurs believe the Alt and Vapo nationwide stockist network is now bigger than all other independent vaping companies combined.

“What motivates us is seeing the smoking rates continue to fall. We wholeheartedly support the country’s smoke-free ambition with vaping key to New Zealand one day being tobacco-free. We will continue to drive our retail coverage and brand presence, ensuring more smokers wanting to quit can effectively switch,” says Jonathan Devery.

Ends

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