Trade associations and seven tobacco manufacturers team to fight tobacco ordinances. On Tuesday, Feb. 14, the National Association of Tobacco Outlets Inc. (NATO), the Cigar Association of America Inc. (CAA), along with Lorillard Tobacco Co., R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., American Snuff Company, Philip Morris USA Inc., U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Manufacturing Co. LLC, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco…
Altria Chairman and CEO To Retire
“Now is the time to transition leadership to people of an age to guide the company through its next phase of growth,” says Altria CEO. Altria has announced that Chairman and CEO Michael Szymanczyk, 63, has decided to retire after 23 years of distinguished service to the company, including four years as chairman and CEO…
Altria’s Tobacco Companies Launch Citizens for Tobacco Rights
Website brings together adult tobacco consumers on tobacco public policy issues. Altria’s tobacco operating companies launched Citizens for Tobacco Rights, a Website for adult tobacco consumers who are interested in information and advocacy on tobacco-related public policy issues. Citizens for Tobacco Rights is a group of adult smokers and dippers joining together to get active…
Philip Morris Wins First Engle Trial
“Even though we won this trial, we continue to believe that the Engle trial structure is fundamentally unfair and unconstitutional,” says Philip Morris spokesperson. A Fort Myers jury today decided in favor of Philip Morris USA and other tobacco companies in the first Engle case to be tried in Lee County (Szymanski). This marks the…
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…
Roll-Your-Own Climbs Amid Tax Hit
Mounting cigarette costs are driving smokers to test cost-effective tobacco alternatives, such as roll your own (RYO). The 2009 NACS State of the Industry report, which polled 156 retail firms with 20,553 stores as of December 2008, found that pipe and cigarette tobacco sales had the strongest growth of all tobacco products and were up…
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…
Cigars
TOP PERFORMERS Swisher International Inc. Swedish Match Altadis USA HONORABLE MENTIONS John Middleton (Philip Morris USA) Royal Blunts (New Image Global) PrimeTime Cigars New insights on the cigar category reveal that retailers who manage the tobacco segment more strategically benefit from accelerated growth and a larger share of the market. “Retailers focused on offering a…
Smokeless tobacco market plans, snue and spit free product information
TOP PERFORMERS Copenhagen (Philip Morris USA) Skoal (Philip Morris USA) Grizzly (Conwood Co./ Reynolds American) HONORABLE MENTIONS Kodiak (Conwood Co./ Reynolds American) Timberwolf (Swedish Match) Longhorn (Swedish Match) Few product categories are as dynamic as smokeless tobacco, which helps make managing the set all the more interesting. With so many new products, flavors and line…
Smokeless Tobacco Market Includes New Flavor Innovations And Increased Consumer Demand
A perfect storm of societal, legislative, retail and economic factors in 2009 appears poised to push sales of smokeless products—the fastest-growing tobacco category—higher than ever. Convenience store retailers and marketers of such leading brands as Copenhagen, Skoal, Redman, Timberwolf, Kodiak, Red Seal, Rooster, Grizzly, Husky and Longhorn have already seen a flurry of activity on…