Administration continues to push for graphic warning labels on cigarette packages. Yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration appealed the February 29, 2012 decision issued by Federal District Court Judge Richard Leon which held that the FDA’s new graphic images and text warnings for cigarette packaging and cigarette advertisements violate free speech protections under the First [...]
Today’s cigar smokers are looking for quality, value, variety and taste. Watch this video from Kretek to learn how adding DJARUM Natural Leave Wood Tipped Cigars in four premium flavor blends: classic clove, cherry, vanilla and rum, combined with Kretek’s strong introductory program, display allowances, promotions and merchandising will increase your cigar sales.
Today’s cigar smokers are looking for quality, value, variety and taste. Watch this video from Kretek to learn how adding DJARUM Natural Leave Wood Tipped Cigars in four premium flavor blends: classic clove, cherry, vanilla and rum, combined with Kretek’s strong introductory program, display allowances, promotions and merchandising will increase your cigar sales.
Kretek International Inc. has launched Lagunas brand premium imported cigarettes by Djarum in the U.S. The Lagunas blend was developed by an international team from Djarum and Kretek over a two-year period of blending and testing. Lagunas’ taste is characterized by a unique combination of tobaccos from the U. S., Brazil Indonesia, Turkey and Greece, [...]
Flavored and single-serve cigars represent a real opportunity for convenience stores to boost tobacco sales. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. With flavored cigarettes no longer available in the U.S., flavored cigars are in line for sharp sales gains. But with FDA having declared last year that it’s got the cigar industry in its sights, retailers [...]
Tantus Tobacco has added two-pack filtered cigar pouches to its Red Buck and Richwood product lines. The new packaging is currently in production at Tantus’ facility in Russell Springs, Ky. The Red Buck foil fresh pouches are available in five flavors: Regular, Special Blend, Mild, Menthol and Cherry. The Richwood foil fresh pouches are available [...]
Led by the Gallagher family, Smoker Friendly continues the fight to sell tobacco legally and responsibly. By John Lofstock, Editor. While the federal government seems intent on eliminating tobacco products altogether, tobacco remains a legal product in the U.S. enjoyed by legal-aged adults exercising their right to smoke, dip or chew. The right to enjoy [...]
John Middleton’s Black & Mild is launching two premium untipped cigarillo products nationally: Classic and Sweets. Classic is for adult cigar smokers interested in a classic Black & Mild pipe tobacco taste, while Sweets is a more traditional cigarillo taste made from primarily air-cured tobaccos. Both products are available in five-packs and singles. During initial [...]
Keeping sets fresh—allocating shelf space, rotating product, keeping tabs on expiration dates and weeding out slow sellers in favor of new items—is the key to maintaining strong sales. By John Lofstock, Editor. Convenience store operators are enjoying the growing popularity of smokeless tobacco products, but they are also being forced to keep a wary eye [...]
Commonwealth Brands and Altadis USA have announced the integration of their sales and marketing units into a unified team. The unified team is expected to provide greater sales coverage and more comprehensive service to its customer. “This will put us in a stronger position to drive growth across our USA mass market portfolio that comprises [...]
Flavored products and natural leaf wrappers remain popular with consumers despite increased taxation and looming FDA intervention. By Frank Seltzer, Contributing Editor. Machine-made or mass-market cigars are by far the largest segment of the cigar universe. While premium cigars get most of the notice in magazines and blogs, the reality is that most cigar smokers [...]
By: John Lofstock, Editor. Convenience Store Decisions‘ annual Category Management Outlook issue is routinely one of my favorite issues of the year because it gives the CSD staff an opportunity not only to analyze the industry’s performance over the past 12 months, but to forecast the sales trends retailers can expect to see over the [...]
Like all Dean’s cigars and pipe tobaccos, Dean’s new Heavy Weights cigars, a product of M & R Holdings, contain only the highest-quality tobacco. Heavy Weights are the same size as the company’s 2003 release—its 100mm Dean’s Large Cigars—containing slow-burning, air-cured burley filler and 100% homogenized tobacco wrapper. Both filter-tipped cigar brands come in nine [...]
Amid the chaos of legislation and taxation, convenience store retailers remain optimistic they can retain OTP customers and even pick up some new ones trading down from cigarettes. By: Joe Bush, Contributing Editor. Not much been predictable about the tobacco category over the past 18 months. Huge taxes increases have renewed questions about just how [...]
Swisher International has introduced a new white grape flavor to its lineup of Swisher Sweets Cigars. The white grape flavor offers customers a mild-sweet taste, smooth flavor and an excellent aroma. These new cigarillos are individually wrapped in the company’s sealed-fresh foil wrapping and come in a variety of packaging—Bonus Box 60s, 25-count impulse units [...]