By Timothy S. Donahue
Top Takeaways:
- Court Decision: Sweden’s highest administrative court declined to hear Haypp’s appeal.
- Sales Halt: Snusnetto ceased sales Oct. 19, affecting about 500 customers.
- New Verification: Haypp is introducing stricter age checks across its other Swedish websites.
Sweden’s courts have put online nicotine sellers on notice: verify who’s picking up the package.
Haypp Group has ceased sales through its snusnetto.se website after Sweden’s Supreme Administrative Court declined to hear an appeal regarding age verification for tobacco and nicotine products collected from parcel lockers.
The decision leaves standing a Stockholm Administrative Court of Appeal ruling that geolocated BankID verification does not adequately establish the age of the person picking up an order. The ruling sets a precedent for Swedish online retailers that use similar delivery systems.
Snusbolaget Norden AB, the Haypp subsidiary operating Snusnetto, discontinued sales on Oct. 19 and notified Stockholm’s licensing authority. Approximately 500 active customers are affected, though Haypp said the closure will have no material financial impact, according to a company press release.
Haypp’s other Swedish e-commerce sites are introducing a new age-verification system developed over six months. The technology verifies the age of the person opening the parcel locker and collecting the shipment, with full implementation expected in October.
“We are proud that Haypp Group is once again at the forefront of efforts to reduce the risk of minors gaining access to tobacco and nicotine products,” said Markus Lindblad, Haypp’s head of legal and external affairs. “The new solution provides an even higher level of security when online orders are collected.”
Lindblad also predicted broader changes in Swedish tobacco retailing.
“It is my firm belief that within two to three years we will see electronic age verification for all purchases of tobacco and nicotine products in Sweden, regardless of whether the purchase is made online or in a physical store,” he said.
Haypp expects limited disruption for consumers and maintains that the practical effect on underage access will be minimal, as the company states that minors do not currently purchase these products online.
Deliveries to staffed collection points remain unaffected, and employees continue to verify customers’ ages when handing over orders.
