“Having a ‘bricks and mortar’ presence will remain critical as people love to interact with retail staff, see product,
and seek advice,” says Ben Pryor, Co-owner of Vapo and Alt New Zealand - the largest Kiwi-owned vape company.
His comments follow Vapo stores reopening nationwide today with the country now in Alert Level 2 which allows all
retailers to operate with ongoing respect to social distancing and public health.
“Our Vapo and Alt online stores saw a real lift in the past couple of months, and no doubt many customers will stay
virtual shoppers, but we’re very confident physical shoppers aren’t going anywhere. The public will always like getting
out to shop, with traditional retail’s tactile factor not set to lose any of its appeal,” he says.
Mr Pryor says R18 online sales for Vapo Haiz and Alt starter kits grew by a staggering 30% during country’s seven-week
Level 3 and 4 lockdowns.
“The good news is many smokers used the lockdown to quit tobacco for health reasons and to save money. With our stores
now back in business, we’re hoping to encourage even more Kiwi smokers to make the switch,” he says.
The reopening of Vapo stores also enables vapers to once again responsibly dispose of their e-cigarette waste in-store
In a unique partnership with TerraCycle, Vapo encourages vapers to recycle their devices and pods by dropping them off
at a Vapo store. Alternatively, e-cigarette waste can be sent free through the post by participants signing up to a
programme on Terracycle’s website.
For every kilogramme of vaping waste sent to TerraCycle, Vapo and Alt donates $1 to the charity Sustainable Coastlines –
which works to keep New Zealand’s coastlines beautiful.
“Reopening our Vapo stores not only ensures retail jobs, but will help more Kiwis to quit smoking, and enable better
environmental outcomes. It just goes to show the benefits of reopening a shop can be way broader than most probably
think,” says Ben Pryor.
Vapo stores are located in Auckland’s NorthWest Shopping Centre, Sylvia Park, Manukau Westfield, Dominion Road,
Onehunga, Karangahape Road, Takapuna and New Lynn, as well as Wellington’s Cuba Street, Hardy Street in Nelson, and High
Street in Christchurch.