Local MP Mark Pawsey cut the ribbon to officially open the new Totally Wicked store on Castle Street last week.
The store caters for e-cigarette users, or ‘vapers’, and employs trained staff who are on hand to assist smokers looking to give up tobacco and move over to vaping.
Vaping has been prominent in the news recently with Public Health England declaring that it is 95% safer than smoking tobacco. E-cigarettes also featured prominently for the first time in the Government’s ‘Stoptober’ campaign last month. There are approximately 3 million vapers in the UK.
Mark met with store owners Ian and Sara Stockwell who already operate two other successful Totally Wicked stores in nearby towns.
Mark said:
“It was great to officially welcome Totally Wicked to Rugby and to see another new small business start-up in the town.”
Mark continued:
“I have never been a smoker and do not vape but I became interested in e-cigarettes a few years ago after speaking with many local residents here in Rugby who were keen to tell me how they had finally managed to quit smoking thanks to vaping. After those conversations I began looking into the new technology more and also established an All Party Group in Parliament for e-cigarettes to help MPs learn more about the vaping industry.”
Mark concluded:
“I believe that vaping has a huge role to play in helping people to quit using tobacco and have been reassured recently by Public Health England declaring e-cigarettes to be 95% safer than smoking. There is no doubt that the dangers of vaping are substantially smaller than smoking and I am pleased that Ian and Sara will now be on hand for Rugby residents looking to quit.”
Sara Stockwell, owner of Rugby’s new Totally Wicked Store, added:
“We’re incredibly proud to open our Totally Wicked E-cigarette store in the heart of Rugby, and have our local MP Mark Pawsey share in the celebrations. Personally, we’ve been on a journey to beat tobacco over a number of years by approaching the cessation issue from an educational perspective. This with our dedication to providing an outstanding customer service has allowed us to support our local communities. Our vaping business is a positive one and we’re thankful to have strong, local support already.”