According to the National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finalized determinations on more than 99% of the nearly 26 million new tobacco products for which pre-market tobacco applications (PMTAs) were filed by manufacturers with the FDA. The vast majority of these FDA determinations are in the form…
Is a Resurgence Ahead for RYO Tobacco?
Legalized cannabis, herbal options and increasing cigarette costs could work in favor of the roll-your-own (RYO) tobacco category in 2023. The RYO segment has always been a small player in the overall tobacco category. The $35.8 million generated by RYO tobacco sales in 2022 is a pittance of the nearly $55 billion attributed to cigarette…
How Does Snus Work?
There are a lot more people who know what snus is than how snus works. But for convenience stores, knowing both can prove essential to maximizing sales. Doing everything possible to move merchandise in any category is imperative. The global market for snus is expected to rise from $1 billion in 2022 to $2.4 billion…
Smokeless Leads OTPs
Without a doubt, modern oral nicotine products, especially pouches, shone the brightest within the tobacco/nicotine category for convenience stores throughout 2022. According to IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm, units of spitless tobacco grew by more than 31% for the 52 weeks ending Jan. 1, 2023. Consequently, dollar sales also jumped nearly 34%, while the…
FDA Issues MDOs to Two Vuse Solo Menthol E-Cigarette Products
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued marketing denial orders (MDOs) for two products under the Vuse Solo brand. Currently marketed by R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co., the two menthol e-cigarette products are the Vuse Replacement Cartridge Menthol 4.8% G1 and the Vuse Replacement Cartridge Menthol 4.8% G2. The company must not market or distribute…
Cigars Await Possible Flavor Bans
Cigars may not be firing up the backbar, but steady sales are bracing the segment ahead of possible flavor bans. Manufacturing and distribution slowdowns during the first few years of COVID-19 impacted many product lines, but none in the tobacco/nicotine category was targeted to the extent that cigars experienced. Convenience stores throughout the country struggled…
Tiered Trends Shake Up Cigarette Sales
Inflation is adding another challenge to c-stores’ cigarette category. Cigarettes pulled in nearly $55 billion for convenience stores in 2022, per IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm. That total once again qualifies the segment as the undeniable top tobacco/nicotine category performer. But slipping unit sales, down 8.1% for the year, also show that the category…
Brooks Bolsters Success at Nouria
What started as a part-time position at a gas station in high school turned into a successful and vital role as a category manager at Worcester, Mass.-based Nouria Energy for Ben Brooks, whose convenience store/petroleum industry career spans roughly 25 years. As Nouria’s category manager of cigarettes, other tobacco products (OTP), automotive, lottery and store…
Sheppard Enhances the Tobacco Backbar
2022 and the beginning of 2023 have been challenging for the tobacco and cannabidiol (CBD) categories. From flavored tobacco bans to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) trying to find a new way to regulate the use of CBD in food and supplements, these two categories can’t seem to catch a break. However, Victoria Sheppard,…
Altria Makes Exchange With JUUL, Acquires NJOY
Altria Group Inc. has made two big announcements. The company has exchanged its entire minority economic investment in JUUL Labs and has agreed to acquire NJOY Holdings. Altria exchanged its minority stake in JUUL for a non-exclusive, irrevocable global license to certain of JUUL’s heated tobacco intellectual property. “We believe exchanging our JUUL ownership for…