E-cigarettes: BAT’s Vype and Vuse

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From 2014, British American Tobacco (BAT) developed and launched a number of e-cigarettes (also known as electronic nicotine delivery systems, or ENDS) under the Vype and Vuse brand names. The table below gives details of these products, up to 2020 when BAT began to merge the brands under the Vuse name.

Vype E-cigarettes

Vype was developed by following the acquisition of an independent company called CN Creative in 2012. BAT began selling Vype in Europe in 2013 and has since expanded sales globally.

Year Product Details
2014 Vype eStick The first of BAT’s redesigned Vype product variations, launched in the UK in April, then rolled out in Europe.1 By 2019 it was no longer available on Vype’s websites, apart from in Canada.2
2015 Vype eTank First of the international tobacco companies to sell an ‘open-system’, refillable e-cigarette.34 The company issued a limited product recall for the eTank Pro in August 2018 due to reports of devices overheating and the risk of them catching fire.56
2016 Vype Pebble Launched in Milan, Italy, in a Vype ‘concept store’.78 Subsequently marketed across Europe. By 2019, it was no longer available on either Vype’s UK or Italian websites.910
2018 Vype ePen 3 Launched in August in the UK, with e-liquid ‘pods’ in three nicotine strengths and a range of flavours, including “blended tobacco”, “fresh apple” and “wild berries”.1112 A best seller for BAT in Europe and rolled out to other markets in 2018 and 2019.131415161718
2018 Vype iSwitch On sale in December, initially in BAT’s VIP branded stores in London. A variation, the i-Switch Maxx, enabled connection via Bluetooth to the myVype app which can monitor and track personal use of the device.1920 This device appeared to no longer be on sale in 2021.
For more information see E-cigarettes: British American Tobacco.
2019 Vype ePod A nicotine salt product, launched in July, using vPro capsules, containing 18 mg/ml of nicotine in the UK.2122 Nicotine salts are created when ‘freebase’ nicotine is dissolved in acid, which can make a higher dose of nicotine more palatable.23
BAT’s Head of Next Generation Products, Nigel Hardy, said at the time that: “People are looking for devices that are less harmful, less costly and with minimum complexity. As a result, there has been a rapid growth in closed systems – and it’s these that are driving growth in the market.”2425

In August 2019, BAT submitted a global trademark application for “Le Spot, by Vype” under the categories of e-cigarettes and tobacco products, and connected retail services. It was not clear if this was for a new e-cigarette product.26

Vuse E-cigarettes

The Vuse brand was inherited from Reynolds when BAT acquired the company in 2017, after having a licensing agreement in place since 2014. Up to 2020, Vuse products were mainly available on the US market. (See information on BAT’s rebranding below)

Year Product Details
2013 Vuse Solo A ‘cigalike’ inherited from Reynolds.27
2016 Vuse Digital Vapor Inherited from Reynolds. In 2019 this product was no longer available.28
2016 Vuse Vibe Inherited from Reynolds, a closed tank device marketed by Reynolds/BAT.29 In April 2018, BAT/Reynolds issued a voluntary product recall for Vuse Vibe power units due to reports of the batteries overheating and catching fire.30 In June 2018, BAT blamed a “few isolated issues”13 and said that the recall was “progressing well with the majority of displaced volume moving to SOLO and CIRO”.17 Although Vibe was restocked and sales picked up later in the year, BAT estimated that this recall had cost the company US$19million.1316
2018 Vuse Ciro Launched in May, promoted with the slogan “a perfect puff every time”.31 (Ten Motives produced an e-cigarette in the UK called Cirro. For more information on Ten Motives see E-Cigarettes: British American Tobacco).
2018 Vuse Alto Launched in August, it was seen as a direct competitor to e-cigarette JUUL from JUUL Labs, which by 2017 had overtaken sales of Vuse.3233

Vype rebranded as Vuse

In 2020, BAT was under pressure due to lower-than-expected profits from its newer products. It began consolidating its brands, renaming its Vype products as Vuse, with the rebrand complete in April 2021.3435

For developments after 2020, see E-cigarettes: British American Tobacco

For more information on its wider product rebrand see: Newer Nicotine and Tobacco Products: British American Tobacco

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References

  1. ↑New Vype eStick is launched by BAT’s Nicoventures, Conveniencestore.co.uk, 31 July 2014, accessed August 2019
  2. ↑British American Tobacco, eStick Starter Kit, GoVype Canadian Website, undated, accessed October 2019
  3. ↑British American Tobacco , Delivering Today, Investing in Tomorrow, BAT Annual Report 2015
  4. ↑S. Rossel, Fun in harm out, Tobacco Reporter, 1 February 2016, accessed September 2019
  5. ↑Z. Rodionova, Urgent Recall: Vype e-cigarettes sold at Argos and Sainsbury’s recalled over fears they could catch fire, The Sun, 6 August 2018, accessed August 2019
  6. ↑Go Vype, Important eTank Pro Consumer Safety Information, Vype website, undated, accessed August 2019
  7. ↑British American Tobacco, Delivering Today, Investing in Tomorrow, BAT Annual Report 2016
  8. ↑CBA Design, Envisioning a new brand experience, CBA website, undated, accessed August 2019
  9. ↑ Vype E-Cigarettes, Vype website, accessed August 2019
  10. ↑Sigarette Elettroniche, Vype Italy website, accessed August 2019
  11. ↑British American Tobacco unveils latest vaping product, Better Retailing, 2 August 2018, accessed August 2019
  12. ↑F. Briggs, Vype launches its most satisfying closed-system vaping device yet: The Vype ePen 3, Retail Times, 1 August 2018, accessed August 2019
  13. ↑abcBritish American Tobacco, Transforming Tobacco, BAT Annual Report 2018
  14. ↑British American Tobacco, Half-year Report for the six months to June 2019, 1 August 2019, accessed August 2019
  15. ↑British American Tobacco, Half-year Report for the six months to June 2019: Presentation Transcript, 1 August 2019, accessed August 2019
  16. ↑abP. Lageweg “Step-Changing New Categories: A very significant growth opportunity”, British American Tobacco Investor Day Presentation, 14 March 2019
  17. ↑abBritish American Tobacco, Deutsche Bank Global Consumer Conference Presentation, 12 June 2019, accessed August 2019
  18. ↑Euromonitor International, What’s Happening in Tobacco? Q2 2019, Briefing, 25 July 2019
  19. ↑British American Tobacco, British American Tobacco unveils new-to-world vaping technology, BAT Press Release, 11 December 2018, accessed August 2019
  20. ↑My Vype, Google Play Store, undated, accessed August 2019
  21. ↑British American Tobacco, eLiquid flavours, Vype UK website, undated, accessed October 2019
  22. ↑British American Tobacco, What are nicotine salts, Vype UK website, 15 July 2019, accessed October 2019
  23. ↑Centre for Media and Democracy, Freebase Nicotine, Sourcewatch, 27 September 2017, accessed July 2019
  24. ↑British American Tobacco Launches Vype e-Pod, Better Retailing, 12 June 2019, accessed August 2019
  25. ↑Vype launches new closed pod system using nicotine salt e-liquid, Vapour Voice Magazine, 17 July 2019, accessed August 2019
  26. ↑World Intellectual Property Organization, Le Spot, by Vype, WIPO application, 12 August 2019
  27. ↑Breaking News: R. J. Reynolds Vapor Launches ‘Vuse’ Digital Vapor Cigarette, CStoreDecisions.com, 6 June 2013, accessed August 2019
  28. ↑Vuse Digital Vapor Review, Vaping360.com, 10 November 2016, accessed August 2019
  29. ↑K. Arcieri, R.J. Reynolds expands distribution of next generation Vuse product to 25K stores, Triad Business Journal, 11 November 2016, accessed August 2019
  30. ↑R. J. Reynolds, Urgent: Voluntary Product Recall of Vuse Vibe Power Units, Company Statement on FDA website, April 2018, accessed July 2019
  31. ↑E-Cig Expectations Surge, CStoreDecisions.com, 26 March 2019, accessed August 2019
  32. ↑R. Duprey, This E-Cig Recall Comes at a Bad Time for British American Tobacco, The Motley Fool, 25 April 2018, accessed August 2019
  33. ↑A. LaVito, Juul’s momentum slips as NJOY woos customers with dollar e-cigarettes, CNBC News, 20 August 2019, accessed September 2019
  34. ↑Electric Tobacconist, Vype is becoming Vuse: What you need to know, 9 March 2021, accessed August 2022
  35. ↑British American Tobacco, Building the Enterprise of the Future, Annual Report and Form 20-F 2020

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