Mini-mart fined for under age sales

Convenience store Castle Food and Wine have been fined over £2000 for selling a vape to a child.

Ilke Deniz Ltd, the company which operates the store, has been fined £2,400 by St Albans Magistrate Court for selling a nicotine vape to a 16-year-old child during a test purchase exercise carried out by Hertfordshire Trading Standards. The company, represented by Riza Boran, the sole director, pleaded guilty to the offence on 4th June 2025.

The test purchase followed complaints from the public about underage sales from the shop, and the business was warned of the consequences if it failed to do more to prevent sales to children. The test purchase was one of 14 attempted from different premises in autumn 2024, and it was the only sale made.

It is illegal to sell nicotine vapes and tobacco products to anyone under 18 years old. On this occasion, no ID was asked for.

Hertfordshire Trading Standards regularly undertakes test purchase exercises using underage volunteers, working on intelligence received to target irresponsible retailers.

Councillor Ajanta Hilton, Executive Member for Public Health and Community Safety at Hertfordshire County Council said: "This prosecution sends a clear message that we will act against businesses that aren’t complying with the law on the sale of vapes. It’s important that we protect our residents, particularly children, from the risks posed by vapes, and we also carry out similar operations around tobacco, alcohol and knives.

"If any businesses are unclear about the regulations and their responsibilities, our Trading Standards team can provide advice and support to help them operate in a safe and legal way."