The Co-op has instructed store staff to increase the promotion and visibility of vape products in a bid to recover lost sales following a major cyber-attack that disrupted operations earlier this year.
An internal document titled Powering Up: Focus Sprint: Cigs, Tobacco and Vape, seen by The Guardian, outlines the retailer’s strategy to regain roughly £1m in weekly sales and 100,000 lost transactions caused by the April cyber incident. The report states that many customers have formed new shopping habits, buying cigarettes and vapes elsewhere.
The initiative includes new vape displays, expanded product ranges, and additional in-store advertising, marking a notable shift for a company that has long marketed itself as an ethical, community-focused retailer.
While the Co-op insists its approach complies with UK laws and government guidelines, some employees have voiced discomfort, arguing that promoting vapes contradicts the company’s social responsibility principles. One staff member said the move “goes against everything the Co-op stands for,” describing it as exploiting “a known health problem” for profit.
The shift comes amid rising public concern over youth vaping, with colourful packaging and sweet flavours drawing criticism from health officials. England’s chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, has warned: “If you smoke, vaping is much safer; if you don’t smoke, don’t vape.”
A Co-op spokesperson said the company remains committed to its ethical values but must rebuild its business after the “sophisticated cyber-attack,” which caused significant financial losses and operational disruption.
The hack forced some of the Co-op’s 2,000 grocery stores and 800 funeral homes to revert to manual systems, costing the retailer over £200m in sales and an estimated £120m hit to annual profits.
Meanwhile, the government’s upcoming Tobacco and Vapes Bill will soon ban vape advertising and limit flavours and packaging, which could again reshape how the Co-op and other retailers market such products.
