Vaping brand Blu, the market leader in France, has arrived on the Irish market, distributed by John Player.

Blu was founded in 2009  by Australian entrepreneur Jason Healy, and the pod-based system has gone on sale in  Centra, Supervalu, Spar, Mace, Costcutter, Applegreen, Circle K, Gala and Carry Out stores.

The MyBlu closed vaping system uses refill pods instead of loose liquids, with flavours that include Cherry Crush, Strawberry Mint, Green Apple, Menthol and Tobacco Creme. Blu says that a 20-minute USB charge for its vape device will last a day.

The vape liquids are manufactured in China. Pods cost €7 for a packet of two 1.5 millilitre pods. The vape liquid nicotine strength is either 9mg/ml or 18mg/ml, with no 6mg/ml in the range. A starter pack that contains the vaping device and charger and one pack of liquipods costs €20 online. Independent vape product retailers sell 10ml capsules of vape liquid for self top-up at €4 to €5.

Online Orders

Online orders are fulfilled from a distribution centre in the Netherlands, and are delivered by DHL withing three working days from date or the order. There is no delivery charge and there is call centre assistance available. When a customer decides on preferred order mix over time, it is possible to specify automatic re-ordering.

In Association with

Head of marketing Carmen Balala commented: “Initial sales have been exceptionally strong. It’s very important that we give adult smokers the choice of a less harmful alternative to tobacco and we are continually seeking to improve the vaping experience."

It is estimated that there are 800,000 smokers in Ireland, and 150,000 vapers.

Photo: Carmel Balala (left) and Deirdre Healy. (Pic Maxwells)