Thursday 30 June 2011

Smoking ban sees rising numbers switching to E-Lites electronic cigarettes

The growing popularity of E-Lites has been quite phenomenal over the past few months, report their manufacturers.

Today Friday 1st July marks the fourth anniversary of the UK ban on smoking. But back in 2007, very few people would have foreseen that by 2011 many smokers would be switching to so-called electronic cigarettes for the freedom to smoke almost anywhere they want to smoke.

Top UK brand E-Lites have seen a steep rise in sales during 2011, with 20% month-on-month growth since January. The growth of the electronic cigarettes market as a whole is estimated at being an impressive 500% from 2010 to 2011.

E-Lites have the advantage of being significantly cheaper and healthier than conventional cigarettes, but it is the fact that there is NO restriction on their use in public places that is often cited as a key factor by those who make the switch.

With pubs across the UK closing at a rate of about 25 per week and the smoking ban regularly blamed as a reason for this, many smart landlords have taken the step of selling e-cigarettes to keep smokers coming through their doors.

One such landlord is Reg Pearson, landlord of The Robin Hood pub in Clifton Reynes, Buckinghamshire. He said: “I came across E-Lites and was struck by the novelty factor at first, but they have become a big hit among several of our regulars. It means they can sit in the bar and enjoy a smoke while drinking, without being forced outside in all weathers.

“The other important thing is that they don’t upset other customers, because they just produce a harmless vapour that doesn’t smell. Pubs have always had to adapt to change and I think this is one of the ways we can move forward.”

E-cigarettes are a fast-growing trend. In the UK alone, there are now over 900,000 individual Google searches for ‘electronic cigarettes’ every month. World-wide stars like Johnny Depp, Katherine Heigl and Leonardo Di Caprio have all been spotted with e-cigarettes.

E-Lites replicate the experience of smoking with a realistic-looking device that turns a pure nicotine solution into a vapour that is inhaled as with a cigarette.

E-Lites director Dermot Ryan stated: “The growing popularity of E-Lites has been quite phenomenal over the past few months. I think more and more smokers are recognising this product as a genuine, credible and enjoyable alternative to normal cigarettes. In many ways, the smoking ban has really sidelined smokers but with a product like E-Lites they can enjoy the same experience without feeling uncomfortable.”

For more information go to www.e-lites.co.uk

FACTFILE:
E-Lites was launched in the UK in 2007 and is already a market leader, they claim to produce some some of the most advanced electronic cigarettes available.

Its latest range of new-generation E-Lites includes the disposable device that provides the equivalent of 40 cigarettes and is priced at £9.99.

Michael Ryan, one of the founding directors of E-Lites, is also chairman of the Electronic Cigarette Industry Trade Association (ECITA), a representative body which provides advice, guidelines and support to members, as well as working to ensure the correct regulatory framework is applied to such products. For more information, visit www.ecita.org.uk

(EDITOR: Whilst the consumption of nicotine is, obviously, not a good idea, far better, one would argue, to use a product that doesn't put smoke, tar and the like into the lungs of the smoker and other people.)  

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