EYES EUROPE

The Middle Eastern brand ANDS hits the UK vaping sector and eyes half a billion-dollar turnover in next three years.

Words: Oliver Smith

Middle East-based brand ANDS raised a few eyebrows across the global vaping industry with their latest news.

The distributor of alternative nicotine delivery systems, is looking to drive revenues up to $500m in the next three years following its expansion into the EU, starting from the UK.

It will represent startling growth for a business that was founded during the pandemic.

The company revealed its expansion plans following the recent announcement of its arrival in the UK.

Fadi Maayta, Founder and President of ANDS said: “We want to be a leader in our industry, a significant disrupter.

“The UK will be our first market outside the UEA. The UK is an ideal springboard for our expansion into Europe due to its sensible policy stance in relation to vaping.”

Maayta previously held senior executive positions at Juul Labs and Philip Morris International.

“The company will focus on establishing itself in the UK in 2023 and will expand into a number of European growth markets during 2024, including France, Italy, Germany, Spain and Portugal.

This will be followed by further expansion across Europe in 2025. The company will focus on recyclable vapes, nicotine pouches and a new concept in heat-notburn technology.”

“We are extremely ambitious, we have an extremely experienced and highly-driven team that has been there and done it at the highest level.

“We’re also set up to be agile and to make decisions fast so that we can gain commercial advantage.

“That’s why we are confident that we can become a global powerhouse in the marketplace for alternative nicotine products in the next 5-10 years.”

The company will be looking to drive further growth in the global travel retail sector which was worth $51bn in 2021.

Currently it serves major retailers, including Lagardere Group, Gebr Heinemann and Dufy AG in airports in the Middle East and is looking to build on this track record in the UK and Europe.

In Europe, ANDS already supplies vapes to retail outlets at Frankfurt and Vienna airports.

The company will also be investing in the opening of vaping rooms at airports across the world including in the UK, so vapers no longer have to share smoking/ vaping areas with tobacco smokers before their flights.

With the first dedicated vaping room in the world was opened recently in Beirut International Airport.