The Co-op has instructed staff to promote vapes more prominently in stores as part of a drive to recover sales lost following a major cyber-attack earlier this year, internal documents reveal.
According to a leaked briefing titled Powering Up: Focus Sprint: Cigs, Tobacco and Vape, the retailer has been losing about £1m in sales per week since the April hack disrupted operations and caused widespread stock shortages. The document says around 100,000 transactions per week have been lost, with many customers forming “new habits” by shopping elsewhere for cigarettes and vapes.
To address this, the Co-op is expanding its vape and nicotine pouch range, introducing new advertising and installing eye-catching displays in high-traffic areas of stores. While the measures comply with UK law and government guidance, some employees have raised concerns that the strategy contradicts the Co-op’s reputation as an “ethical” and socially responsible retailer.
One staff member told The Guardian: “Before, even if I didn’t always enjoy work, I respected the Co-op. They present the idea of ethical shopping – this goes against everything we’ve done until now.”
The controversy comes amid growing concern about youth vaping, with public health officials warning that bright packaging and sweet flavours attract under-18s. England’s chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, has said: “If you smoke, vaping is much safer; if you don’t smoke, don’t vape.”
The Co-op defended its decision, stating that vape sales are a “recognised route to smoking cessation” and that its actions are “fully compliant with all UK legislation and government guidelines.”
The move follows a devastating cyber-attack that crippled the company’s IT systems, forced stores and funeral services to revert to paper processes, and wiped over £200m from sales, leaving the group expecting a £120m hit to full-year profits.
As the government’s tobacco and vapes bill moves through parliament — set to ban vape advertising, sponsorship, and restrict flavours and packaging — the Co-op’s push to promote vapes highlights a growing tension between commercial recovery and ethical responsibility.
