The Cigge stores in Västerås and Karlstad were closed at the end of January 2025. But four months later, things are looking up for vejpare in central Sweden. A new store - a collaboration between VapeNation and distributor Eciggkedjan - will soon open in Västerås.
"But Karlstad is also in the pipeline and hopefully there will be a store in Uppsala too," says Niclas Lundin, owner of vapeNation and who is also behind the newly formed company.
The new company is called Egor AB and is owned by Eric Gordon and Niclas Lundin. Niclas Lundin has run VapeNation since 2017 and currently has a physical store in Enköping. The Ecigg chain is one of Sweden's largest distributors of vejp products and supplies, among other things, disposable models to several of the country's largest convenience chains and convenience stores.
"When Cigge disappeared, you could see that big holes were forming in the towns where the shops had been. It turned out that both I and the owners of the Ecigg chain saw the same thing. So it became a natural collaboration between us with the aim of opening new stores," says Niclas Lundin.
Assortment from the Ecigg chain
The Ecigg chain has previously focused mainly on distribution and business-to-business sales. But the venture in Västerås and Karlstad was preceded by a similar collaboration with the Vapify chain of stores in the Stockholm area.
"The range will be from the Ecigg chain as will the name of the stores. But they primarily want to stay in the background in terms of the operation of the stores themselves. We will keep the old Ciggelolokal in Västerås. In Karlstad, there will be another location, but it's not quite finalised yet."
Old staff back
In both Karlstad and Västerås, the old Cigge staff will return. Something that Niclas Lundin sees as a matter of course.
"I've known both Mathias and Victoria for a long time and know what they're about. In Karlstad it will be Frida, who used to work at Cigge, both behind the till and as a partner. So the arrangement is a little different than in Västerås," says Niclas Lundin.
The store in Västerås is likely to open this week, says Niclas Lundin.
"Or as soon as the physical checkout itself comes, I should say. There was a bit of a hassle there"
Looking to the future
Niclas Lundin has been running VapeNation for almost eight years. Despite the fact that the bankruptcy of the Cigge stores affected the entire Swedish vejp market, he is optimistic about the future,
"Based on all the press about vejpning, it should be going down, but I don't see it. We have a good market and good growth. For us, it's always going in the right direction - from year to year it's at least 10 per cent up."
"Less scaremongering now"
At the same time, like many others involved in harm reduction and smoke-free nicotine, he sees how the reporting around the products tends to question the whole basis of the business. Recently, several newspapers published an article on popcorn lung, and the Karolinska Institute presented a report equating vejpning with smoking in terms of risks. But Lundin realises that the tone of the conversation is different now, compared to 10 years ago.
"That 'scare tactic' doesn't really work anymore. Then I think a lot of the scare tactics have disappeared more and more, not least since the tobacco companies got involved. Strange, isn't it? People are more informed today than before. We used to have one or two customers a week asking about popcorn lung and whatever else was being written about, but nowadays it's only once a quarter," says Niclas Lundin.
But we still read quite often about "new risks of vejpning", right?
"Sure, what I call the "free church gang" is still going - like the Non smoking generation and a bunch of researchers at the Karolinska Institute. The message is to start the morning by saying "thou shalt not..." as it were. Those of us who work with vejpning and smoke-free nicotine can always meet what they say with facts - regardless of whether it comes from a cardiologist from the Institute or a free-church Freemason." says Niclas Lundin.
