N
F
E
R
H
FEATURES
RISING TO THE
Challenge
For Scottish vape company JAC Vapour, the pandemic
has brought highs and lows
Words: Caroline Barry
As vape shops reopen after three months, we spoke to
Emma Logan, Managing Director of JAC Vapour, who
describes how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted
their business.
Emma said: “Our full head office team started working
remotely a week before the official lockdown date and
because we already had our systems in place, this was an
easy transition.
“It’s been more awkward for our product design team as
we have had to physically receive product prototypes but
it’s been manageable though.”
While physical stores were forced to shut from March to
June, the company saw a 30 percent increase in online
sales, initially driven by panic buying but then settling
down into a more regular buying pattern. JAC Vapour has
also reported a “significant rise” in new customers each
month since lockdown.
Shipping delays and increased prices for raw materials
were another factor they had to contend with. Emma
said: “As we are one of the only independent mass
manufacturers based in the EU, our situation has meant
we are able to control our own supply chain.
“However, we are also subject to other influences such
as material costs, exchange rates, freight rates and
availability. All of these costs have varied wildly. Lithiumion
batteries have seen increased lead times, moving from
60 to 90 days and we’ve seen freight charges increase by
up to 300 percent in some cases.
“With uncertainty and fluctuating exchange rates on a daily
basis, it’s been a challenging time to keep stock on shelves
and available to customers, but we have managed bar a
few small hiccups.”
Emma remains optimistic about the future. She said she
was heartened to see that many UK vapers were actively
looking to buy from British companies during this difficult
time.
120 VM29