It was once called ‘the weaving capital of the world’. But with the textile industry long gone, Blackburn has a new – and perhaps more dubious – claim to fame as Britain’s vaping hotspot.
The former mill town in Lancashire has the country’s highest concentration of shops selling controversial e-cigarettes. There are 22.56 registered vape outlets per 100,000 residents, according to online vape retailer Go Smoke Free.
The North-West is the worst place in Britain for underage vaping.
Blackburn and the neighbouring town of Darwen are also home to some of Britain’s richest vaping barons.
These businessmen are profiting handsomely from the vaping boom amid concerns about the effects on young people – despite a ban on sales to under-18s – and the environmental impact of discarded e-cigarettes.
Success story: Vape Dinner Lady founder Mohammed Patel sells dessert-inspired products in 115 countries
The vaping tycoons of Blackburn have carved out a lucrative niche in an industry dominated by brands such as Chinese-owned Elf Bar, which has 70 per cent of the market, and giants such as British American Tobacco.
Soaring numbers of vapers have helped to line their pockets. The number of people who vape grew by 9 per cent to 4.7 million in 2023, according to anti-smoking campaign group Ash. Some 230 specialist vape stores opened last year, taking the total across the UK to 3,573, according to the Local Data Company.
Separately, market research company NIQ and trade magazine The Grocer found vape sales were worth £897 million in 2023. The Government, which has encouraged vaping as a way to help cigarette smokers to quit, has spotted a much-needed revenue-raising opportunity. Ministers are said to be mulling a new vape tax, which might be introduced in next week’s Budget.
There is no obvious reason why so many unrelated vaping companies, whose owners are not linked, have formed a cluster in a small area of Lancashire.
However, Blackburn can boast of being the home of other high- profile entrepreneurs, including the Issa brothers, Zuber and Mohsin.
In the 1960s their parents moved from India to Blackburn. The siblings, who grew up in a terraced house, now own supermarket chain Asda.
Blackburn was named as one of the UK’s most entrepreneurial towns in 2022, based on the number of new small business start-ups.
Another Blackburn business founder making waves is Mo Isap, a tech entrepreneur who recently secured a deal for his award winning business IN4 Group with energy giant Saudi Aramco, one of the world’s biggest companies.
Philip Boyle (pictured) and his business partner Nathan Walton set up Flavour Warehouse 12 years ago
Philip Boyle
Estimated worth: £114 million
Company: Flavour Warehouse
Sales: £140 million
Profit: £22.2 million
Philip Boyle and his business partner Nathan Walton set up Flavour Warehouse 12 years ago.
It now produces 30 million liquid bottles per year and sells in more than 80 countries. As well as its base in Darwen, it has a factory in Guildford, Surrey. The firm employs 300 people and aims to be ‘the most trusted vaping company worldwide’ by taking ‘full control of the entire production process’.
According to its most recent accounts, turnover rose by 95 per cent to £140 million in 2022, and profits nearly trebled to £22.2 million. Boyle netted the majority of a £3 million dividend, up from £42,253 the previous year.
Its flagship brand is Vampire Vapes and export sales go as far afield as Eastern Europe and the United States.
It also acts as a wholesaler for brands such as Elf Bar and it has extended into retail, running its own Vapestore shops.
The company owns convenience store brand Premier Retail. Boyle, 40, sits on the board of the Independent British Vape Trade Association. That organisation ‘exists to give the independent vaping sector a voice with government bodies, regulators, enforcement agencies and many other interested parties’ – while being ‘free from control from any tobacco business’.
Former salesman Boyle now lives in a £1.2 million mansion in Clayton-le-Dale, an upmarket village nestled in the Ribble Valley near Blackburn.
Mohammed Patel
Company: Vape Dinner Lady
Sales: £24 million
Profit: £2.9 million
Another huge Blackburn success story is Vape Dinner Lady – which boasts of selling its dessert-inspired liquids in 115 countries. Its unusual flavours include Berry Blast, Melon Twist and Kiwi Melon. Founded in 2005 by Mohammed Patel, 43, it was named Best Vaping Brand in 2022 at the ‘Vapouround’ industry awards and employs 200 people.
Turnover grew to £24 million in 2022, up from £15.3 million the previous year, while profits nearly doubled to £2.9 million.
Total dividends of £8 million were paid over the last three years. The firm is rebuilding its Blackburn base after a devastating fire last September and it has shifted production to ‘multiple international centres’. Patel said he set it up because he was ‘captivated’ by the booming business of vaping as an alternative to smoking. ‘But the real motivator was driven by my own experience of using e-liquids,’ he said.
‘Despite the myriad of products and flavours available, the selection on offer simply wasn’t up to much, in my opinion.’
Christopher Parker stayed as finance director
Matthew Moden, Christopher Parker and Abraham Spain
Estimated worth: £14.5 million
Company: Liberty Flights
The three founders of vape company Liberty Flights shared up to £14.5 million when they sold their Darwen-based business to retail group Supreme in 2022. Founded in 2009, the firm had grown its annual sales to £9million and profits to £1.5million.
By the time of the sale, it had a thriving business selling in convenience stores. It had also launched a rechargable vaping device called the Dot Pro. Liberty Flights has seven shops and a brand which sells dozens of varieties of liquids used in e-cigarettes.
Christopher Parker, 36, stayed as finance director after the sell-off, but Matthew Moden, 50, and 46-year-old Abraham Spain headed for pastures new with their fortunes.
Jason Cropper and brother Fraser, pictured, founded Totally Wicked in 2008
Jason and Fraser Cropper
Estimated worth: £107 million
Company: Totally Wicked
Sales: £90 million
Profit: £1.6 million
Jason Cropper and brother Fraser founded Totally Wicked in 2008 and are thought to have a fortune similar to Boyle’s. The Blackburn-based firm, which employs more than 370 people, has seen sales balloon – nearly doubling to £90.4 million in 2023, up from £54.4 million the previous year. Profit surged from £360,000 to £1.6 million in 2023.
Former smoker Jason, 59, once even kept gold bars in his home. He stepped down from the business in 2013 after refusing to retract comments about e-cigarette licensing in a controversial email to regulators.
Fraser, 57, remains at the helm as managing director. He lives with his wife in a £700,000 home in a village in Somerset.
But the sibling entrepreneurs remain close to their East Lancashire roots and they sponsor Blackburn Rovers Football Club.
Jason was the victim of a shocking robbery at his home in Samlesbury, Lancashire, in 2013. Four masked raiders armed with crowbars broke into his home, before tying him up, dousing him with bleach and covering his head with a towel.
They made off with his £60,000 Range Rover, two gold bars worth £50,000, plus £70,000 in cash and three expensive watches.
The tycoon suffered head injuries and could not walk properly for a week.
He said he believes the gang robbed him because they thought he had £4 million of gold in his house.
After the raid, he spent about £20,000 on advanced security for his £750,000 home, including 10 cameras, lights, 8ft fencing, a monitored alarm system and a guard dog.
The local vape firms mentioned were contacted for comment.
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