The Strabane vaping community sits at the start of three overlapping shifts. The Just Vape team has been through every major UK vape regulatory change since the original TPD came into force in 2017, so the approach to navigating these new ones is well-established: stay informed, stay calm, adapt the advice and keep the customer relationship at the centre.

1. The October 2026 Vaping Products Duty

The biggest single shift. From 1 October 2026, all UK e-liquid carries a £2.20 per 10ml duty plus VAT. The duty applies to nicotine-free shortfills too, so it cannot be avoided by buying 0mg bottles. A £10 shortfill becomes roughly £30 once duty plus VAT hits. A £4 nic shot becomes about £6.65. A £3.50 10ml bottle becomes around £6.85.

Vaping will still cost a fraction of cigarettes (cigarette duty is significantly higher per equivalent ml-of-nicotine basis), but the cost gap narrows meaningfully. The team is advising local customers to stock up on their preferred shortfill ahead of October 2026 where storage and shelf life allow, and to consider whether stepping down nicotine strength reduces total duty exposure over the year.

2. The maturing post-disposable shift

The 1 June 2025 disposable ban created a wave of new refillable pod kit users. The first 12 months post-ban were about transition: pairing customers with refillable kits, matching disposable flavours and getting comfortable with bottled e-liquid. The next 12 to 24 months will be about settling into long-term habits.

The Strabane team expects ex-disposable customers to gradually move from bar-style fruit + ice into a wider flavour range, to step up to slightly more sophisticated pod kits as they get comfortable with the format, and to develop preferences around coil life, mixing and value that the original disposable era never required. Our popular flavours guide covers where the current preferences sit.

3. Continued NI smoke-free public health policy

The NI Audit Office and the Public Health Agency have signalled that smoking reduction remains a priority. The 14% NI adult smoking rate still leaves 320,000 people smoking, with the most deprived areas at 24% vs 7% in the least deprived. Public health policy aimed at the remaining smoker base is likely to include continued backing for vaping as a switching tool, alongside NHS Stop Smoking services and tobacco control measures.

For local independent vape shops, this means the role of supporting first-time switchers continues. The October 2026 duty changes the pricing context but not the underlying need: every smoker who switches to vaping (and stays switched) is a public health win.

The team’s most common recommendations to local customers asking about what to do before October 2026.

The Just Vape Strabane team will continue to be the local point of advice for these decisions, just as they have been since April 2014. For more on what the team can help with, see our transition support guide.