Chronological coverage updated 11th September 2026 11:12.
Update 1 · 11th September 2026
Cigar Importers Warn Proposed Plain Packaging Rules Could Gut UK Product Ranges
Specialist cigar importers and tobacconists have warned that proposed government regulations mandating plain packaging for hand-rolled cigars could force companies to dramatically cut product lines and endanger small businesses across the UK.
Importer Hunters & Frankau, which has brought Cuban cigars to the UK for over 230 years, stated it would have to reduce its product range by 75% if forced to package hand-rolled cigars in standardized plain wrappers under rules stemming from the Tobacco and Vapes Act.
Supply Chain and Authenticity Concerns
Premium hand-rolled cigars rely heavily on specialized packaging and security seals applied in source countries like Cuba. Each box features government-issued security stickers, holograms, and date stamps applied under strict conditions in Havana to verify authenticity and value.
Major overseas producers such as Habanos may refuse to supply the UK market if products must be stripped of original packaging and repackaged locally in plain paper. Ambassadors from key exporting nations, including Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Honduras, have urged ministers to conduct product-specific analysis treating hand-rolled cigars separately from mass-market tobacco.
Debate Over Health Regulation and Exemptions
Hand-rolled cigars represent a small fraction of the broader market, accounting for an estimated 2.5 million of the 400 million cigars sold in the UK in 2024, with the vast majority consisting of machine-made cigarillos.
Public health advocacy group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) supports standardized packaging without exemptions, arguing that previous legal loopholes allowed tobacco firms to market cigarillos to younger consumers. A government consultation on expanding standardized packaging and health warnings to all cigars closes on 2 October.
Bmmagazine reportedly quoted Jemma Freeman (chairman of Hunters & Frankau) as saying: “If Hunters & Frankau are in a position where we have to provide plain packaging, we believe we will have to reduce our portfolio by 75 per cent.”.
Hand-rolled cigars accounted for 2.5 million out of 400 million total cigars sold in the UK in 2024..
- Importers state plain packaging mandates would force a 75% cut to premium cigar portfolios due to international supply chain constraints.
- Foreign ambassadors from Cuba, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic have formally objected to the policy's economic impact on exports.
- Public health groups argue standardised packaging must apply universally to avoid creating loopholes for machine-made cigarillos.
