VB Distribution among first UK distributors approved for Vaping Products Duty

VB Distribution has secured HMRC approval under the Vaping Products Duty and Vaping Duty Stamps Scheme, placing it among the first UK distributors able to supply stamped, duty-accounted product.

From 1 October, vaping products move from a consumer goods category to an excise category, governed by the same architecture as alcohol and tobacco. Approval is the licence to trade within it, and the only route to duty stamps, which HMRC releases to approved businesses alone.

With approval now secured, VB Distribution can purchase stamps inside the transitional window that closes on 31 August and build stamped stock ahead of 1 October. The approval also determines where the duty falls: operating under bonded, duty-suspended conditions, the charge lands when stock is released rather than when partners receive it, allowing VB Distribution to absorb the duty cost and the administration rather than passing either down the chain. For retailers and wholesalers, that is the difference between funding an excise regime and simply trading through one.

Natalia Gosciniak, chief executive of VB Distribution, said: "Approval is no longer an administrative step in this category, it is permission to trade.

"This milestone strengthens our readiness for the introduction of the duty and reflects months of work across our operations, compliance and supply chain teams. Our retail, wholesale and brand partners will trade through the transition with the availability and continuity they have always had from us."