Who we are & what we stand for

SaveCigars is a consumer led campaign established to support and represent all facets of the cigar industry; including manufacturers, distributors, specialist retailers and, most importantly, the consumers who enjoy cigars.

The campaign exists to ensure that those affected by changes to legislation and regulation are informed, engaged and able to make their views heard. This is particularly important within the premium handmade tobacco sector, where Article 5.3 of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control creates significant restrictions around engagement between the tobacco industry and policymakers on public health matters.

SaveCigars provides a way for a consolidated, informed and evidence led view of the cigar community to be communicated. Our role is not simply to respond to legislation, but to ensure that consumers and businesses understand what proposed changes could mean for them and have access to the information they need to participate in the debate.

Through the campaign, we aim to keep the cigar community informed of legislative developments, consultations and other key issues affecting the enjoyment, sale and future of cigars in the UK. By bringing consumers and businesses together, SaveCigars seeks to ensure that the distinctive characteristics of premium cigars and the specialist businesses that serve their consumers are properly understood and considered.

The SaveCigars campaign was established in response to the 2025 Tobacco and Vapes Bill and the significant changes it proposed for the premium handmade tobacco sector.

From its inception, the campaign was designed to inform cigar consumers and the wider industry about the progress and potential implications of the legislation. As the Bill progressed through Parliament, SaveCigars provided a platform through which important developments could be communicated to the cigar community.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill subsequently passed through Parliament on 29 April 2026. While this represented an important milestone, it also highlighted the need for a continuing, coordinated voice for those involved in the cigar sector.

Following the passage of the Bill, the focus of SaveCigars has moved to the proposed changes to tobacco packaging and the associated consultation on plain packaging. These proposals have the potential to have a particularly significant impact on specialist tobacconists across the UK.

There are currently around 120 specialist tobacconists in the UK, many of which derive the majority of their revenue from premium handmade tobacco products. These businesses play a unique role in the cigar community, providing specialist knowledge, products and services that are not readily available through mainstream retail.

SaveCigars therefore continues to evolve in response to the issues facing the sector. What began as a campaign to inform consumers about a specific piece of legislation has developed into an ongoing platform for communication, representation and evidence gathering on issues affecting the future of cigars and specialist cigar retailing in the UK.

SaveCigars is currently focused on ensuring that consumers, retailers and others across the cigar community understand the potential impact of proposed plain packaging requirements.

Our immediate priority is to ensure that the voices of specialist tobacconists and cigar consumers are properly represented during the consultation process. The proposed changes could have significant consequences for specialist retailers, particularly those whose businesses depend heavily on premium handmade tobacco products.

We will continue to:

• Keep consumers and businesses informed of relevant legislative and regulatory developments.
• Explain proposed changes and their potential impact on the cigar community.
• Encourage consumers and retailers to engage constructively with consultations and other opportunities to express their views.
• Build a stronger, more coordinated voice for the UK cigar community.
• Collect and communicate credible evidence about the contribution and characteristics of specialist cigar retailing.
• Ensure that the distinctive nature of premium cigars and their specialist retail environment is properly understood by policymakers and other stakeholders.

A major long term objective for SaveCigars is to address one of the biggest challenges currently facing the campaign: the lack of reliable, independent data about cigar consumers and specialist retailers.

Arguments about the impact of legislation are strongest when they are supported by robust evidence. At present, there is limited independent data that accurately captures who cigar consumers are, how they purchase and enjoy cigars, and the economic and social importance of specialist tobacconists.

SaveCigars therefore intends to develop an independent annual survey of consumers and specialist retailers, effectively creating a SaveCigars Annual Census.

The Census would provide an ongoing evidence base covering areas such as consumer behaviour, purchasing patterns, attitudes towards legislation, the role of specialist tobacconists and the economic contribution of specialist cigar retailing.

Over time, this data would allow SaveCigars to move beyond anecdotal evidence and build a credible, independently gathered picture of the UK cigar community. It would provide the factual foundation needed to support future consultations, policy discussions and campaigns.

Our long term ambition is for SaveCigars to become a trusted source of information and evidence for the UK cigar community: keeping consumers and businesses informed as legislation develops, while building the data and collective voice needed to ensure that decisions affecting the future of cigars are made with a proper understanding of the people and businesses involved.