Northern Ireland is a strategically important market: BAT UK

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT

It’s time to start the countdown to this year’s Neighbourhood Retailer Awards! We are delighted to begin sharing our wonderful sponsors in our special feature, Sponsor Spotlight. Here, we find out more about our sponsor BAT UK, who are sponsoring the prestigious Retailer of the Year award.

BAT has undergone significant transformation in recent years, driven by substantial investment in innovation and the development of reduced-risk products.

Through leading brands such as Vuse, one of the world’s foremost vapour brands, and VELO, the UK’s number one nicotine pouch brand*, we are providing adult consumers with a broader range of alternatives while advancing our ambition to build a predominantly smokeless business by 2035.

As one of the world’s leading tobacco and nicotine companies, our focus is on delivering innovation backed by science and evidence, while continuing to evolve our product portfolio in line with changing adult consumer preferences. We believe innovation has a vital role to play in shaping the future of the category and supporting informed consumer choice.

Northern Ireland remains a strategically important market for BAT UK, characterised by a strong independent retail sector and a highly engaged trade community. Retailers play a critical role in supporting adult consumer choice and driving category growth, and we remain committed to working in partnership with them to help maximise opportunities across the nicotine category.

Through dedicated trade engagement programmes, tailored retailer rewards, targeted investment and regional events, we continue to support our retail partners in meeting evolving consumer demand and driving sustainable business growth. By working closely with retailers and investing in category innovation, we aim to help increase awareness, availability and responsible growth of next generation nicotine products across the region.

We are delighted to be sponsoring the Northern Ireland Retailer of the Year award this year’s Neighbourhood Retailer Awards. Independent retailers are at the heart of communities across Northern Ireland, and these awards provide an important opportunity to recognise and celebrate the dedication, resilience and entrepreneurial spirit that drive success within the convenience sector.

We look forward to celebrating the achievements of retailers from across the region on the night.

DON’T MISS OUT ON BEING THERE – BOOK YOUR TABLE AT THE 2026 NEIGHBOURHOOD RETAILER AWARDS HERE!

*Based on NielsenIQ RMS data for the Nicotine Pouches category for the 18-month period ending 30/09/2025 for the UK total retail market (Copyright @ 2025, NielsenlQ.)