Euro Shop, 89 Stafford Street, Walsall, sold a vape to two underage volunteers on 9 July 2025 while Trading Standards officers were carrying out an age-restricted sales operation.
The volunteers requested a SKE Cherry Ice vape, which was sold by Miss Rehana Azmi for £4 without any checks on their age.
The sale took place despite the shop having received comprehensive advice just one month earlier on preventing underage sales. This included written guidance, Challenge 25 posters and a refusals register, which remained unused at the time of the offence.
During an interview, Miss Azmi admitted she had not been concentrating and incorrectly believed the volunteers were around 20 years old. She was unable to explain the Challenge 25 policy and confirmed there were no procedures in place within the shop to prevent underage sales.
The shop owner, Mr Aryan Kadiri, did not engage with Trading Standards during the investigation and failed to attend court proceedings.
A spokesperson for Walsall Council said, “Businesses have a clear legal responsibility to prevent the sale of age-restricted products to children.
“This case shows the type of action that can follow where advice is ignored and the law is broken.”
Following court proceedings, the parties were fined as follows:
Aryan Kadiri – £1,924, comprising of £660 fine, £264 victim surcharge and £1,000 costs.
Miss Rehana Azmi – £612, comprising of £80 fine, £32 victim surcharge and £500 costs.
Under the Nicotine Inhaling Products (Age of Sale and Proxy Purchasing) Regulations 2015 and the Children and Families Act 2014, it is an offence to sell nicotine inhaling products to anyone under the age of 18.
