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Challenge 25 is a retail strategy where staff ask customers who appear to be under 25 to provide proof that they are over the legal age required to purchase age-restricted products.
It commonly applies to:
The principle is simple: if someone looks under 25, staff should request ID, even if the legal purchase age is 18.
From January 2027, in the UK, it will be illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born on or after January 1st 2009. This will eventually create a ‘smoke-free generation’ and vapes are exempt from the ban. The ACS – Association of Convenience Stores, have created the Decline09 campaign, backed by retailers, to create awareness that if someone is born on or after 2009 they must decline the sale of tobacco.
Estimating whether someone is 18 can be difficult. Estimating whether they look under 25 is much easier. By introducing a seven-year buffer, retailers reduce the likelihood of accidentally selling age-restricted products to underage customers.
Failed test purchases can lead to:
Challenge 25 demonstrates that a retailer has robust procedures in place to prevent underage sales and is taking this responsibility seriously.
Front-line retail staff often have to make quick decisions under pressure. Challenge 25 provides a clear and consistent rule: If they look under 25, ask for ID. This removes ambiguity and gives staff confidence to ask for ID and refuse sales.
For convenience chains, supermarkets, forecourts, and other multi-site operators, Challenge 25 provides a standardised process that can be applied consistently across thousands of stores and employees.
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The UK is moving towards stricter controls on tobacco sales from the 1st January 2027 through the proposed generational smoking ban. Under the legislation, people born on or after 1 January 2009 will never legally be able to purchase tobacco products.
This means that over time, retailers will need to verify not only whether someone is over 18, but whether they belong to a specific birth-year cohort that is permanently prohibited from purchasing tobacco.
As these rules become more complex, retailers will increasingly look for age assurance technology that can:
For retailers and EPOS providers, anonymous age estimation such as MyCheckr can act as an additional compliance tool by:
MyCheckr does not replace age verification, it helps retailers apply Challenge 25 more consistently and efficiently while maintaining privacy and a frictionless customer experience.
