Hunters & Frankau, which has imported Cuban cigars into the UK for more than 230 years, says it would have to cut its portfolio by 75 per cent if it is required to supply cigars in plain packaging under the Tobacco and Vapes Act. Importers want hand-rolled cigars exempted, and a government consultation on the packaging rules closes on 2 October.
The Act received Royal Assent in April, with provisions taking effect between now and 2029. Its central measure, a ban on selling tobacco to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, follows a plan announced by Rishi Sunak in 2023.
The government has refused to exempt handmade cigars from plain packaging in the legislation. Baroness Merron, a health minister, told the House of Lords: “It is absolutely not this government’s intention for any future packaging requirements to put any small businesses, including specialist tobacconists, out of business.”
“Seventy per cent of the cigar market in the UK is Cuban,” said Jemma Freeman, chairman of Hunters & Frankau, which supports hundreds of small businesses across the UK and Gibraltar.
She said: “If Hunters & Frankau are in a position where we have to provide plain packaging, we believe we will have to reduce our portfolio by 75 per cent. If that happens, the specialist tobacconists can’t survive, the numbers don’t work.”
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