Convenience stores across the UK lost over £5m in sales in the first week of the government’s ban on disposable vapes, new data has revealed.

According to specialist convenience insight agency Talysis, the vapes category, which includes disposable, kits and pods, was worth approximately £23m per week in UK convenience stores. Last week, however, sales totalled just £17.8m.

Regionally, Scotland suffered the most, losing 36% of sales in the total vaping category in the week following the ban. Convenience stores in Northern Ireland were down 31%, while retailers in the north east of England lost 27% in sales.

Despite a “significant drop”, Talysis explained disposable vapes still achieved “noticeable sales” during the first week, highlighting that disposable vapes were still being sold illegally. These illicit sales amounted to over £1m over the same period, according to Talysis.

The insight analyst also found the price of disposable vapes remained steady last week. While some stores reduced prices to quickly shift stock, there had generally been no major price cuts.

“This is such a challenging time for retailers and, for the vast majority who are adhering to the ban, there’s no doubt that there’s at least some short-term pain to suffer within the vaping category alone,” said Talysis MD Ed Roberts.

“Our data presents a tough picture of how the ban is impacting sales and how the alternative options are yet to compensate fully and replace disposable use. Whilst it’s early days, a £5m loss in the first week alone is a major hole to fill.

“With so many alternatives available, ranging and finding space can be a challenge. This is where Talysis can help make life easier. Using our convenience data, we are able to see what the market is really doing, and which categories, brands and SKUs are the alternatives that consumers are actually buying.

“The speed and granularity of our data is unmatched within the sector, allowing retailers to act quickly and with full confidence. We’ll be keeping a close eye on this category and ensuring our customers are best-placed to regain that lost revenue.”