British American Tobacco (BAT) has announced it has partnered with The Channel Islands Co-operative Society Limited (Channel Islands Coop) – the region’s largest retailer – and Yoti, a leading provider of digital identity solutions, to introduce facial age estimation technology in Coop stores.
Live in 10 Coop stores across Jersey, this pilot forms part of BAT’s major ongoing commitment to combat underage sales and youth access to its tobacco and nicotine products. BAT recognises the critical role retailers play in enforcing age verification protocols and is proud to work alongside Coop, a retailer that has demonstrated leadership through its adoption of the Challenge 25 initiative across its business. This pilot also marks a significant step forward in supporting Coop’s store colleagues with the challenge of age checking procedures, while also enhancing the overall customer experience through a smoother point of sale.
BAT currently uses Yoti in more than 600 stores across Europe, planning to reach 1,000 by the end of this year. This includes in BAT-owned stores in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, with ongoing implementations in Poland, Italy, and Serbia. In traditional retail, projects are being conducted with key retail partners in Greece and Hungary. Additionally, BAT is also piloting Yoti in trade activities where direct consumer interaction occurs, such as in Poland.
BAT also uses Yoti’s solutions including facial age estimation, age verification and identity verification across some of its markets. Since August 2023, it has been using Yoti across BAT-owned vending machines including in the UK. With further expansion plans being explored.
Danni Tower, group head of scientific & regulatory affairs at BAT, said: “Underage Access Prevention remains our top priority as we address the unintended consequences associated with tobacco and nicotine products. Early results show Yoti’s strong potential in supporting us prevent underage access to smokeless products, supporting harm reduction through purpose-driven and world-leading innovation.”
Mark Cox, CEO of the Channel Islands Coop, said: “As the largest retailer in the Channel Islands, we take our responsibilities extremely seriously. Our colleagues are on the front line of enforcing age verification, which can be both challenging and sensitive. By trialing this technology, we’re giving them the tools to uphold our social responsibility promise, ensuring that age-restricted products are only sold to those legally entitled to purchase them.
“This isn’t just about compliance. It’s about protecting young people, supporting our colleagues, and showing leadership in ethical and sustainable retailing. Social responsibility is at the very heart of Coop’s culture, and this initiative reflects our values in action.”
Yoti uses smart, facial age estimation – without inconveniencing adult customers or retailers – to estimate a customer’s age. The customer is required to scan a QR code with their mobile device or use an in-store device, such as a tablet. All customers need to do is take a selfie and the technology estimates their age. The moment their age is estimated, the image is permanently deleted. If the customer is verified as over 18, they can proceed, otherwise additional proof of age needs to be shown to staff. For the Channel Islands pilot, the age threshold is set at 20.
To date, Yoti has completed over 900 million age checks and completes over one million checks every day. Yoti facial age estimation does not store or share any information about who a user is. It only returns a yes/no response as to whether the user meets a minimum age threshold.
Susanna De Iesu, commercial director, BAT UK&I: “We are proud to be launching this pilot with Yoti and Coop to jointly demonstrate our commitment to underage access prevention in Jersey. Globally, technology is at the forefront of BAT’s transformation and plays a crucial role in combatting underage access.
“Our partnership with Yoti, an innovative, cost-effective, facial age estimation technology, demonstrates our advancement in technological innovation and provides an extra level of protection to ensure our products are sold solely to adult nicotine consumers.”
During the UK Home Office sandbox trials at self-checkouts in supermarkets, there were no reported sales of underage customers purchasing age-restricted items when using Yoti’s age assurance technology.
Robin Tombs, CEO of Yoti said: “We’re delighted to be working with BAT and the Channel Islands Coop, creating safer retail environments and preventing underage access to age-restricted goods.
Our facial age estimation technology helps people to pass age checks without needing to present an ID or wait for staff assistance. It offers a faster, more secure, inclusive and privacy-preserving way for adults to prove they are of legal age to purchase age-restricted goods – while also protecting underage shoppers.
This partnership demonstrates how the tobacco and nicotine industry can harness technology to uphold age restrictions and prevent youth access, while creating frictionless experiences for adults.”
BAT also works with retailers globally to ensure they are adequately trained in Underage Access Prevention including age verification.
The rollout follows BAT recently publishing its Commitment to Responsible Vaping Products, a series of pioneering ambitions for its Vapour products supported by evidence-based solutions to address the most pressing societal concerns.
Earlier this year, BAT also began launching its most advanced vapour device to-date, Vuse Ultra, which will feature the Device AutoLock™ functionality in select markets. The feature enhances safety by automatically locking the device when not in use, helping prevent accidental activation or unauthorised use. So far, Vuse Ultra has been launched in several markets, including Canada, Germany, and the UK, with further market rollouts planned during 2025 and beyond.
BAT is clear that its products are for adult smokers and nicotine users only and should never be used by those who are underage.
