Revealed: Shop where Glasgow fire started had not registered to sell vapes or paid business taxes

The vape shop at the centre of the fire that engulfed historic buildings on Glasgow’s Union Street fire had not paid business rates, The Ferret has found, and does not appear to be registered to sell tobacco or vaping products.

The fire started in the pop-up style vape shop just after 4pm on Sunday, 8 March, with thick smoke billowing out onto the street.  

Several hours later, as the fire began to take hold, Central Station was evacuated. It then ripped through Forsyth House, a B-listed building next door from 1851 known for its iconic dome on the corner of Union Street and Gordon Street.

The Ferret can now name the tenant of the shop at 105 Union Street as Junaid Retail Limited. The company, which was trading in Glasgow as Scot’s World, was registered in Hamilton. However we were told that the Union Street business was sold two weeks ago to another owner under the same company name.

According to Glasgow City Council it had occupied the premises from 1 August 2024 – but a business rates bill for 2025/26 was returned to the local authority with respondents claiming the owners had “gone away”. 

A council spokesperson told The Ferret that landlord, Afton Estates Limited, had confirmed Junaid Retail was still the occupier at that time. The council added it had no contact with the company and no rates payments had been made. The account is in the hands of its debt recovery partner, the spokesperson said.

We also found there is no registration for the 105 Union Street address on the Scottish Government’s register for retailers selling tobacco and nicotine products, which includes vapes. Businesses must enrol on the official Tobacco and Nicotine Vapour Product Retailers list to comply with the law.

We visited the business's registered address in Hamilton, and found a similar shop to the Glasgow one, selling vapes, rolling papers, as well as inflatable beach balls and DIY tools. From there we were put in touch with Ajaz Sarwar who claimed to be the owner of the Union Street vape shop until it was sold two weeks ago. There is no record of his involvement in Companies House filings.

He claimed to have been told he would have one year of rates relief before having to pay but added that when this grace period was over he was "struggling badly" and the shop "was not making enough money" to afford the bill.

Sarwar added he thought only the sale of tobacco had to be registered and did not think vapes were included in the regulations. "I cannot comment on what happened next, " he added. "That is for the new owner. But when I heard what had happened I had so much pain. Words cannot describe it."

The Ferret has also contacted the current director, listed on Companies House, who has not yet responded to requests for comment.

Trading standards can issue fixed penalty notices if a company is found not to be on the register while selling cigarettes or vapes. If someone is found to be in breach of legislation three times within a two-year-period they can face a 12-month ban. 

It is understood that partly due to cuts to local authority trading standards officers – whose numbers have been halved in recent years – no action will be taken against businesses who have not registered to sell tobacco or vaping products unless a complaint is made.