Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

Geek Bar asks retailers to be ‘extra vigilant’ amid reports of illegal vapes with harmful chemicals

Geek Bar asks retailers to be ‘extra vigilant’ amid reports of illegal vapes with harmful chemicals

Leading disposable vape brand Geek Bar has urged retailers and consumers to be extra vigilant amid reports that potentially deadly illegal and illicit vape products are being sold in the UK.

Unlike genuine products – which have undergone stringent emissions testing to ensure they are free from harmful chemicals and meet all of the UK’s regulatory and consumer safety standards – there are no such checks on illicit products, the brand said.


Recent independent testing of illegal vapes which had been purchased in the UK revealed that they contained dangerous levels of lead, nickel and chromium, in some cases up to ten times above safe limits.

Even more worryingly, ‘a small number’ of school children in Hampshire reportedly needed hospital treatment after using illegal vape products which contained additives which made them ill.

Allen Yang, chief executive of Geek Bar, said it was more important than ever that vapers knew the difference between compliant legal products and potentially deadly illegal ones.

“It is abundantly clear that illegal products, which have undergone no safety checks whatsoever and which could make consumers seriously ill, are currently on the market,” he said.

“Consumers must be really careful about that they buy and where they buy from. Being offered devices from ‘under the counter’, from random strangers or at a price which seems too good to be true should all set alarm bells ringing.”

Geek Bar said it has invested more than £120m in a new 95 per cent automated intelligent factory which uses cutting edge technology to ensure the highest product standards.

It has also recently launched its new Meloso vape range which features its bespoke VPU (vaping processing unit), and while there is no suggestion that any of the illicit products are being passed of as genuine Geek Bar vapes, Yang said the company would clamp down hard on anyone attempting to do so.

“All Geek Bar products go through the most rigorous quality control tests throughout the entire production process and we take great care to ensure that consumers can be confident that the products they buy from our trusted retail partners are genuine Geek Bar devices,” he said.

“Unfortunately, as vaping gets ever more popular it attracts unscrupulous characters who will happily sell illegal products which put anyone using them at the risk of serious harm.”

Its parent company Geekvape has already shut down a huge counterfeiting operation in the Philippines and has teams of lawyers ready to pounce when new counterfeit operations are detected around the globe.

Yang also called for much tougher enforcement of existing UK vape laws and backed proposals from the UK Vaping Industry Association which include fines of up to £10,000 for those selling illegal products or selling vapes to children, a licensing scheme which would help fund enhanced trading standards enforcement and new powers to allow regulators to screen out child-friendly imagery or packaging as part of the initial approvals process.

More for you

East of England Co-op achieves 70 per cent productivity boost with Electronic Shelf Labels

East of England Co-op achieves 70 per cent productivity boost with Electronic Shelf Labels

East of England Co-op said it has improved labour productivity whilst improving customer service delivery in-store with an Electronic Shelf Label (ESL) solution from Pricer, the leading in-store automation and communication solutions provider.

Established in 1861, East of England Co-op is now the largest independent retailer operating in the East of England. In addition to the 120 food stores it operates in the region, the regional cooperative also offers customers specialist services, such as funerals, security, travel agents and petrol filling stations across Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire.

Keep ReadingShow less
PayPoint

PayPoint delivers strong half-year results; retail network crosses 30,000 sites

PayPoint Plc has on Thursday has announced a robust financial performance for the half year ending 30 September, making continued progress towards achieving an underlying EBITDA of £100 million by the end of FY26.

The company’s UK retail network increased to 30,151 sites during the period, from 29,149 at the end of the previous fiscal year. 70 per cent of these are independent retailers, and the rest in multiple retail groups.

Keep ReadingShow less
Johnson & Johnson office

Johnson & Johnson office in Irvine, California

Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

Johnson & Johnson risks UK lawsuit over talc cancer claim

UK claimants announced Wednesday legal action against US pharmaceutical and cosmetics giant Johnson & Johnson, alleging that women diagnosed with cancers were exposed to asbestos in the company's talcum powder.

J&J risks UK court action for the first time over the allegations, having faced a series of similar lawsuits in North America.

Keep ReadingShow less
Glebe Farm Foods: 'best-in-class' for Food Safety Standards

Glebe Farm Foods: 'best-in-class' for Food Safety Standards

Glebe Farm Foods has announced that its site has been awarded AA+ grade following the recent unannounced audit against the BRCGS V9 standard.

The BRCGS Global Food Safety Standard is a globally recognised certification program designed to ensure the safety, quality, legality and authenticity of food products. This was the first unannounced audit for the site and included all the production facilities; de-hulling, flaking and flour, oat drink manufacturing and Tetrapak filling, and new to the scope was the manufacturing and packing of Granola.

Keep ReadingShow less
InPost launches Locker Shops in key urban areas

InPost launches Locker Shops in key urban areas

InPost, the leading provider of parcel locker solutions, has announced the next phase in its rapid expansion with the opening of new Locker Shops in key urban areas. Following the success of its first Locker Shop in Camden, InPost is accelerating its Locker Shop opening programme and targeting hyper urban areas where there is huge demand for its lockers to provide greater access to its parcel locker network.

Kicking off with new locations in London, including Liverpool Street and London Bridge in 2024, as well as Manchester and further London locations from 2025 as part of a strategic rollout.

Keep ReadingShow less