Following a federal court decision that graphic warning labels were unconstitutional, an appellate court has ruled that requiring cigarette warning labels are not a violation of free speech, rather they fall under commercial speech disclosures, are disclosing the health risks of cigarettes and are reasonably related to the government’s interest of preventing the deception of…
Graphic Warning Labels Ruled Unconstitutional
Tobacco companies win lawsuit against FDA. U.S. Federal District Judge Richard Leon yesterday, Wednesday, Feb. 29, ruled that the 36 graphic cigarette warning labels the FDA sought to require tobacco manufacturers to cover cigarette packs with are unconstitutional, Adweek reported. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., Lorillard Tobacco Co., Commonwealth Brands Inc., Liggett Group LLC, and Santa…
Imperial Tobacco Introduces Commonwealth – Altadis Inc.
Commonwealth – Altadis, Inc. strengthens competitive position with total tobacco focus and larger sales force. Altadis U.S.A. Inc. and Commonwealth Brands Inc., both owned by Imperial Tobacco Group PLC, have come together to create a new sales and distribution company called Commonwealth – Altadis Inc. (CAI), offering consumers and customers a high quality range of…
Tobacco Companies Fight Warning Labels
Hearing underway in U.S. Federal District Court on cigarette health warnings. Yesterday, Sept. 21, a hearing took place before U.S. Federal District Court Judge Richard Leon on a lawsuit filed by five tobacco manufacturers seeking a preliminary injunction against the implementation of the FDA’s new text and graphic picture warning labels for cigarette packages and…
Commonwealth Brands, Altadis USA Announce Integration
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…
Commonwealth Brands To Relocate
Tobacco company Commonwealth Brands is relocating its headquarters, WBKO News reported. Now stationed in Bowling Green, Ky., Commonweath Brands is moving its headquarters to Goodlettsville, Tenn. Some 83 employees will make the move, no later than April of 2011. Formed in Bowling Green, Ky., in 1991, Commonwealth Brands also has a cigarette manufacturing plant in…
Renewed Optimism for Smokeless tobacco and tobacco chewing products
The simple truth is that no one is certain what the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will come up with next now that it has been given de facto control of the tobacco industry. But between bureaucratic control freaks, national, state and local taxes, and even the whispered fear of retailer liability concerns ahead, many…
Protecting Cigarette Sales
TOP PERFORMERS Altria Sales & Distribution (Philip Morris USA) R. J. Reynolds Lorillard HONORABLE MENTIONS Liggett Vector Natural American Spirit/Santa Fe (Reynolds American) Commonwealth Brands Despite the wild nine-month ride that saw a large federal tax increase and the Food & Drug Administration gain control over the category, cigarettes continue to dominate in-store sales, accounting…
Cigarettes
TOP PERFORMERS Philip Morris USA R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. Lorillard Tobacco Co. HONORABLE MENTIONS Commonwealth Brands Inc. Liggett Vector Since the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA), tobacco taxes and sales from tax-free sources continue to plague the convenience store industry. Cigarettes continue to be the top in-store category based on sales dollars. On a monthly…
Preparing for Drastic Tobacco Regulations
Not surprisingly, convenience store industry operators identified the future of tobacco as one of their top five concerns heading into 2010. And with good reason. Operators have entered a period of unprecedented challenges when it comes to selling cigarettes, which means they must find new and innovative ways to market and merchandise this essential product…