Mr Gurmeet Singh Kapour, director of Mahir Trading Ltd, trading as Vape and Beyond in Walsall Town Centre, entered a guilty plea on the company’s behalf at Dudley Magistrates Court on 24 September 2025.
Intelligence was received from members of the public regarding the sale of age-restricted products at the store. As a result of this, Walsall Council’s Trading Standards officers carried out advisory visits at the store to warn about the sale of vapes and to provide guidance on age verification.
During these visits, Mr Singh Kapour was advised to train staff at the store regarding underage sales.
Despite warnings, on 8 February 2025, a 16-year-old volunteer was sold a vape containing nicotine. No ID check was carried out prior to the sale.
“ I have no sympathy for anyone involved in selling products with tobacco to children.
Councillor Adam Hicken, Portfolio Holder for Enforcement and Safe Communities
“The rules are very simple around ID checks. We engaged with the store owner multiple times with guidance, but this was ignored.
"We will continue to take enforcement action against those who fail to comply with the law. “
In court, Mahir Trading Ltd, trading as Vape and Beyond, was ordered to pay a fine of £800, costs amounting to £1,000 and a victim surcharge of £320. This resulted in a total cost of £2,120.
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.
