UK Vaping Industry Association

What UK Vaping Industry Association does

UKVIA is a UK non-profit trade association founded in 2016 and headquartered in London, with its secretariat and administrative operations run by JBP Communications from Cardiff. It represents the country's vaping supply chain — manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, distributors and compliance service providers — and positions itself as the largest UK forum for the sector, which it estimates at £1bn. Membership is restricted to companies free of tobacco-industry ownership, and revenues come from five tiered annual subscriptions: Full (£10,500, with board seat and voting rights), Associate (£5,250), Business Classified (£1,600) and Retail Stores (£600), with a Strategic Partner tier also offered.

The association's core "products" are membership services and public-facing initiatives rather than technology. Members receive access to a network of 100+ organisations, standing committees on policy, operations, standards, membership and youth access, market research and policy papers, and representation with government and regulators. UKVIA runs the annual UKVIA Forum (500+ delegates), the VApril education campaign (adopted by France, Germany and South Africa), the Be Vape Vigilant illicit-vape reporting scheme with Trading Standards, the VapeVerify and VapeWatch research and media watchdog campaigns, and a Healthcare Hub providing cessation resources to NHS staff.

Commercial go-to-market is a hybrid of sales-led membership recruitment via the website, phone and email, and event-driven engagement through the Forum and webinars (including co-hosted sessions with CTSI on the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026). Marketing spans owned digital channels (website, member portal), four active social media accounts, PR/earned media (with a 24/7 press office) and consumer-facing assets such as a store locator. The director general is John Dunne (founder of member Vape Club); the board includes representatives from Vape Club, Haypp Group and other members. No external funding rounds, subsidiaries or M&A activity are disclosed.

Name

UK Vaping Industry Association

Legal name

UK Vaping Industry Association

Website

https://ukvia.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Short description

UKVIA is a UK non-profit trade association founded in 2016 that represents manufacturers, retailers and distributors across the UK vaping industry through tiered membership, regulatory advocacy, and consumer-facing campaigns.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: UKVIA generates revenue through tiered membership fees from vaping industry companies. Full membership costs £10,500 per annum and includes board seat, voting rights, and committee representation. Associate membership is priced at £5,250 annually for board meeting access and networking. Retail store membership costs £600 per year. Business classified membership is £1,600 annually with advertising and directory listing benefits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

UKVIA is the UK's leading trade association for the vaping industry, operating as a non-profit organization funded by tiered membership fees from companies across the vaping supply chain (manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, distributors, compliance providers). It sells five membership tiers (Full £10,500/yr, Associate £5,250/yr, Retail Stores £600/yr, Business Classified £1,600/yr, Strategic Partner), and delivers industry advocacy, regulatory representation with government and regulators, networking via the annual UKVIA Forum, public health education campaigns (VApril), and member-only resources including market research and policy papers.

Product overview

UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) is the UK's leading trade body for the vaping sector, operating as a non-profit organization run by members for members. Rather than a unified product platform, UKVIA offers multiple interconnected membership tiers (Full at £10,500, Associate at £5,250, Retail Stores at £600, Business Classified at £1,600, and Strategic Partner), alongside public-facing initiatives including the VApril national education campaign, Be Vape Vigilant reporting scheme, VapeVerify and VapeWatch science/media watchdog campaigns, and a Healthcare Hub for NHS professionals. The association organizes the annual UKVIA Forum event and provides members-only resource access including market research and policy papers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VApril: National education awareness campaign to support smokers looking to transition to vaping, now adopted by France, Germany and South Africa
• VapeVerify
• VapeWatch
• Be Vape Vigilant

Products and services

• Full Membership
• Associate Membership
• Retail Stores Membership
• Business Classified Membership
• Strategic Partner Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• Vaping has helped bring UK smoking prevalence to record low 12.9%
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• China Electronics Chamber of Commerce (ECCC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner representing Chinese electronics manufacturing connections relevant to vape hardware supply chain. Provides international perspective on vaping industry standards and manufacturing.
• Global Vape AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational alliance connecting UKVIA with global vaping industry associations and stakeholders. Supports information sharing on regulatory developments and best practices across jurisdictions.
• IEVA (Independent European Vape Alliance)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean-level alliance providing UKVIA with connections to other national vape associations across Europe. Facilitates coordinated advocacy on EU regulatory matters.
• Scottish Grocers' FederationminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStrategic partner connecting UKVIA with Scottish retail sector representing convenience stores and newsagents that sell vaping products. Supports youth access prevention initiatives and compliance messaging.
• Trading StandardscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerUKVIA has teamed up with Trading Standards in a drive to prevent underage sales of vaping products across the country. Association participates in test purchasing programmes and provides training resources for retailers. Trading Standards supports Be Vape Vigilant campaign.
• NHScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUKVIA Healthcare Hub provides resources for NHS staff and patients on vaping as a quit smoking tool. Association engages with health trusts, stop smoking services, and public health bodies to promote evidence-based vaping information.
• ECigIntelligenceminorOthersData partner providing UKVIA members with independent global market and regulatory analysis, legal tracking, and quantitative data for the e-cigarette sector worldwide.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association (ATHRA): ATHRA is an Australian health-focused advocacy organisation promoting tobacco harm reduction through vaping. It is comparable in mission and advocacy style to UKVIA but operates primarily in the Australian regulatory environment rather than the UK market.
• New Zealand Vaping Alliance: The NZ Vaping Alliance is a New Zealand vape industry advocacy group. It mirrors UKVIA's role as a national industry voice but is geographically distinct, focused on the NZ regulatory regime which has been relatively permissive.

Direct peers

• Canadian Vaping Association (CVA): The CVA is Canada's leading vape industry trade association, advocating for proportionate regulation and harm reduction. It is structurally and operationally comparable to UKVIA with similar membership tiers, regulatory engagement, and youth prevention initiatives.
• World Vapers' Alliance (WVA): WVA is a global consumer-focused advocacy organisation promoting vaping as a harm reduction tool. It is comparable to UKVIA's consumer-facing VApril and Healthcare Hub initiatives and overlaps on policy advocacy across multiple jurisdictions.
• Independent European Vape Alliance (IEVA): IEVA is the European-level vape trade association representing independent vape businesses across EU member states. It is directly comparable to UKVIA in mission (industry advocacy, harm reduction messaging, member services) and already partners with UKVIA on cross-jurisdictional issues, making it the closest direct peer.
• CASAA (Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association): CASAA is a US-based consumer advocacy group defending access to harm reduction products including vapor products. It shares UKVIA's core mission of consumer and industry advocacy for vaping as a smoking alternative, with comparable grassroots and regulatory engagement.
• SFATA (Smoke-Free Alternatives Trade Association): SFATA is the US national vape industry trade association representing manufacturers, distributors, and retailers. It mirrors UKVIA's structure as an industry-led trade body with tiered membership, advocacy focus, and youth access prevention programmes.

Others

• JBP Communications: JBP is a UK public affairs and communications agency serving as UKVIA's secretariat partner. It is not a peer trade association but is operationally critical to UKVIA's delivery and provides comparable association-management services to other sector bodies.
• Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) UK: ASH UK is a public health charity working to eliminate harm from tobacco. It is not an industry trade body but is a key counterpart and resource partner to UKVIA (cited on UKVIA's Healthcare Hub), engaging on the same regulatory and public health issues from a non-industry perspective.
• CTSI (Chartered Trading Standards Institute): CTSI is a UK professional body for trading standards professionals and a UKVIA partner on underage sales prevention and Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 webinars. It is not a competitor but operates in adjacent territory, representing the enforcement side of the same regulatory environment UKVIA engages with on the industry side.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/vaping_industry
• Facebookfacebook.com/UKVIA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ukvia
• Instagraminstagram.com/ukvapingassociation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UK Vaping Industry Association