Tobacco

For years, the most innovative development to hit the subcategory of tobacco accessories was lighter covers highlighting sports teams or colorful designs. There were even the occasional movie- or TV-based themes to attract mega fans. So when BIC introduced the EZ Reach lighter with an extended wand last summer, surely convenience store operators and managers…

2020 proved a tough year for the roll-your-own (RYO) tobacco segment at convenience stores. “Looking at same-store sales of 2020 versus 2019, we continued to see a downward trend on the RYO category, down 6%; however, that trend slowed some in Q4,” noted Tim Greene, category director of tobacco and general manager for Smoker Friendly.…

ENDS stands for electronic nicotine delivery systems. According to the Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternatives Association (CASAA), the first e-cigarette-like product was submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1998 for consideration as a drug delivery device. Despite the agency denying the application, it wasn’t long before e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery…

Despite a challenging 2020, vape sales have persevered. Electronic smoking devices ended the year with dollar sales in convenience stores up by nearly 5%, thanks to a bump of more than 14% in unit sales per IRI data for calendar year ending Dec. 27, 2020. At the start of 2020, convenience stores began realizing the…

They’re both classified as modern oral nicotine products. They’re both tobacco-free. They’re both odorless and spitless. But for convenience store tobacco category managers, there are some key differences to nicotine pouches and nicotine lozenges. Nicotine Pouches Nicotine pouches hold nicotine that has been extracted from tobacco plants and crystallized into salts. The pouch measures about…

Generally speaking, toothpicks are one of those classic utility items that people don’t expect will ever change. But there have been changes. Introduced to the U.S. market around 2013, nicotine toothpicks serve a different function than simply dislodging food bits stuck between teeth. Oftentimes touted as a smoking cessation option, “nic picks” certainly can substitute…

For most convenience store categories, flat year-over-year sales figures would not be considered good news. For cigarettes, however, it signals a reprieve from several years of declining sales. Although IRI market research suggests the top tobacco segment lost a bit of footing in unit sales for the calendar year ending Dec. 27, 2020 — down…

For many convenience stores, the overall tobacco category delivered a welcomed lift for in-store sales, albeit surprising during a historic public health crisis. Many of the subcategories performed well, but none posted as impressive figures as the smokeless tobacco sector, specifically spitless tobacco products, such as modern oral nicotine pouches. According to IRI data, chewing…

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued letters to four companies requesting information about their use of social media marketing and influencer marketing related to their electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) brands: Aspire, Joyetech, Vaporesso and Voopoo. FDA said it used a systematic process in selecting Aspire, Joyetech, Vaporesso and Voopoo from among more than…

Swisher announced it has expanded its partnership with E-Alternative Solutions (EAS) to support the marketing, sales and distribution of EAS’s Leap and Leap Go vapor brands. Both companies will remain separate entities with EAS benefitting from the additional support and strength of Swisher’s world-class sales and marketing organization. Jeffrey Brown, formerly vice president of sales…