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Red Box Vape launches flagship store and training centre in Manchester

Britain’s newest retail vape brand is set to open a flagship store and training centre in Manchester, as it announces plans to become a household name in vaping across the UK.

James, Stuart and Lauren Anderson showing off Red Box Vape bands

Red Box Vape will launch its second flagship store in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, 93-95 Shude Hill Street, on Friday, Aug 31.

The Northern Quarter store will also act as the company’s UK training centre. Here, managers, staff and franchisees are placed on an intensive two-week programme to ensure they carry through Red Box Vape’s strict policy of customer service excellence – a marked difference between this brand and many others on the high street.

The family run business began after the owners, CEO Stuart Anderson and his son James (18), of Nottingham, became intrigued by the number of tobacco smokers they still encountered despite the growing popularity of e-cigarettes and vaping.

The Anderson family has had first-hand experience of cancer and felt that vaping offered a great alternative to smokers who were struggling to quit. They wondered why so many hadn’t switched.

But after further research, they discovered that many vape stores appeared dark and intimidating, appealed more to a younger audience – and the customer service levels were not always good.

So Stuart brought his daughter, Lauren Anderson (22), on board and the three of them set about to create a brand that would demystify vaping, appear clean and welcoming, and would guarantee a “very British” standard of customer service.

This Britishness was reinforced by the use of a British icon – the red telephone box – within its branding and a commitment to selling only e-liquids that were manufactured to strict standards in the UK. Red Box also decided to formulate and manufacture its own e-liquids under the Red Liquids brand. 

Stuart said: “The launch of our second flagship store in Manchester’s Norther Quarter represents months of intense work – with business planning, brand design, store fit-out, stock sourcing and recruitment.  As the Red Box UK training centre, we are determined that this store represents our values to a T.”

In July, Red Box Vape opened the first of its two principal stores, in Nottingham, giving the company a key presence in two major UK cities. With Manchester and Nottingham operating as the company’s flagship outlets, several further retail locations are now being secured around the UK. 

Some Red Box Vape stores will be overseen directly by the company’s parent company, Red Box Liquids Ltd, based in Nottingham, while others will run as franchises, enabling the company to expand more quickly.

In turn, each new store will create a minimum of four full and part-time jobs, and additional head office staff will be recruited in managerial, administrative and distribution roles as the company expands.  

Stuart continued: “We’ve now created a business that we think is pretty special, and we have ambitious plans to expand our network to every part of the UK.”

He said that with an estimated seven million adults still smoking in the UK, Red Box believed there was a huge, untapped market out there. 

“Our initial research highlighted that many long-term smokers were uncomfortable about going into vape shops,” said Stuart. “Some told us that they were put off by the ‘tattoo parlour’ image. We wanted to change all that and create a brand that professional people and women would find welcoming and non-judgemental.  Judging by how popular our Nottingham store is after just a number of weeks trading, I believe Red Box may have finally plugged that gap.  We are therefore thrilled to now be bringing our distinctive offering to the prominent city of Manchester.”     

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