Altria, Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco (BAT) earned their moniker as Big Tobacco by producing the most popular cigarette brands for decades. Indeed, Altria’s Marlboro has held tight to its reign as the top-selling brand for years, even as the smoking population shrinks. Per Statista in November 2020, Marlboro was the most smoked…
Republic Continues Aggressive Stance Toward Counterfeiters
Republic announced that it will continue its aggressive stance toward illicit imitation of its brands, including OCB, JOB and E-Z Wider. The company’s ongoing nationwide efforts to protect its brands and customers from the sale of fake products continues to yield powerful consequences against companies and individuals selling counterfeit Republic products. “Our strong stance on…
Hybrid Designer Lighter Series
The Scripto Hybrid Lighter Designer series offers 25 different wrap designs to choose from with the option to create your own custom wraps. It’s the perfect crossover of a multi-purpose lighter and pocket lighter and features a refillable tank, extended nozzle for safer lighting, adult-friendly push button ignition and adjustable flame. The Scripto Hybrid Lighter […]
FDA Moves to Ban Menthol Cigarettes, Flavored Cigars
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it will begin the process of banning menthol tobacco cigarettes, as well as all flavored cigars. The ban would not include menthol-flavored electronic cigarettes. “Banning menthol — the last allowable flavor — in cigarettes and banning all flavors in cigars will help save lives, particularly among those disproportionately…
Positioning Smokeless Tobacco
Smokeless sales, driven by the spitless segment, are trending up at convenience stores with help from ongoing innovation in the segment. Dollar sales in the convenience channel rose 8.9% for the 52 weeks ending Feb. 27, 2021, totaling $7.37 billion, up from $6.77 billion for the previous year, according to data from NielsenIQ. Unit sales…
What’s the Difference Between Cigarillos and Little Cigars?
What exactly are cigarillos? They’re not as large as cigars or even petite cigars, but not as small as cigarettes. They burn drier than cigars, but taste closer to cigars than cigarettes. Indeed, this other tobacco product (OTP) segment definitely commands its own identity and is a product family that fares well with convenience store…
New Bill Would Establish Federal E-Cigarette Tax, Increase Tobacco Tax Rate
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR), Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-D-08) and seven other Senate Democrats have introduced the bicameral Tobacco Tax Equity Act of 2021, which would establish a federal e-cigarette tax and increase the tobacco tax rate for the first time in a decade. “Tobacco-related disease accounts…
What Is the Difference Between RYO and Pipe Tobacco?
Way before there were mass-produced cigarettes, there were pipes. Indeed, since the early days of tobacco harvesting and curing, people packed pipes with tobacco, as captured in iconic images of farmers with corncob pipes, sea captains clenching pipes, and aristocrats enjoying a pipe with an after-dinner drink. Over the years, the mystique of pipe smoking…
Swisher Startup at UNF Provides Funding to Three North Florida Entrepreneurs
Jacksonville, Fla.-based Swisher awarded three entrepreneurs funding to support the development and growth of their businesses. In partnership with the University of North Florida’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI), the Swisher Startup for Underrepresented Entrepreneurs heard from ten startups that were part of the program’s first cohort. The top three winners received $2500, $1500…
What Is the Cigarette Corrective Statements Litigation?
A newly proposed rule by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) would require corrective statements about cigarettes to be posted by manufacturers at the point of sale (POS) in stores where cigarettes are sold. Background In 1999, the U.S. government sued the major cigarette manufacturers, asserting claims under several federal statutes for conduct by the…