AITS IGNITE 2025

Over the weekend of 16th - 18 th May 2025, we attended the IGNITE Conference and Show, represented by AITS (Association of Independent Tobacco Specialists). The association is a trade body for independent tobacco retailers in the UK and Ireland.

This event saw many UK retailers and suppliers meet up to sell products and promote new products alike. Suppliers such as TOR, Hunters & Frankau, Sarome, Global Leaf Company just to name a few, showcased new releases and gave interesting seminars throughout the weekend.

A seminar given by Tatiana Camacho regarding the Tobacco and Vapes Bill gained lots of attention (rightly so!), and it discussed in depth about the potential law changes across the Country. The UK Government’s proposed Tobacco and Vapes Bill includes provision for a ban on the sale of tobacco products to anyone born on or after January 1st 2009. Whilst its aim is to curb cigarette smoking adoption among the young, the Bill will have far-reaching implications for thousands of older, more discerning members of our society – cigar and pipe smokers in particular. We will see the retail sector for cigars, pipe and other tobacco products slowly disintegrate as manufacturers give up on the UK market and cease trading here. To find out more, click here.

Onto a more positive note though, our team has chosen a selection of exciting new products, including cigars, accessories and pipes of which you can see on our website very soon!

Our cigar specialist Lewis got to try a few of the new cigars and says “the wide range of new cigars we will be seeing soon is super exciting. I tried the Las Villas, Montecristo Open Slam, Drew Estate Blackened and Plasencia Alma del Cielo and they were all fantastic and I can’t wait for you to get your hands on them! Keep an eye on our socials and YouTube channel for upcoming reviews”.

With over 150 attendees, it was safe to say that everybody had an amazing time, celebrating with great food, drinks and of course cigars.

Keep an eye out on our website and social media to find out when we list the new products.