The US vape retail landscape is a four-channel system with very different economics:
| Channel | Store Count | Share of Sales | Key Brands | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Convenience Stores | 150,000+ | 56% | JUUL, Vuse, NJOY | Stable — mainstream access |
| Vape Shops (Specialty) | ~8,000 | 28% | Elf Bar, Lost Mary, Geek Bar | Declining — store closures |
| Online / DTC | — | 10% | All brands (age-gated) | Growing — convenience factor |
| Supermarkets / Drug | — | 6% | JUUL, Vuse | Stable — limited SKUs |
Two data points illuminate the retail landscape: RentechDigital counts 24,170 vape stores with an online presence (April 2026), while B2BDataIndex maintains a database of ~12,000 vape shops (Q3 2026). The gap likely reflects different inclusion criteria — RentechDigital may include CBD shops and kratom stores that also sell vapes, while B2BDataIndex focuses on pure-play vape retailers. [SINGLE_SOURCE for both figures.]
The critical trend: vape shop count is declining. State flavor bans in California, New York, and New Jersey have made large categories of inventory illegal overnight, pushing specialty retailers out of business. Convenience stores — which primarily stock FDA-authorized products — are gaining share as a result. For consumers looking to verify whether a product is legal, our FDA-authorized vape verification guide walks through the PMTA lookup process, or use our PMTA product checker tool to search by brand name.
