Tobacco

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…

Several months after a successful soft launch, Essence Smokes is introducing the first cannabigerol (CBG) cigarette brand into the international market, offering consumers a 100% natural, tobacco-free and additive-free smokable product. Essence Smoke cigarettes are crafted from hemp rolling paper. Their natural filters biodegrade in less than a week upon reaching the ocean and within…

For non-smokers, the mention of roll-your-own (RYO) tobacco very well could conjure up images of cowboys rolling old-fashioned cigarettes beside a campfire. But that’s Hollywood. In real life, RYO tobacco sales still roll in for convenience stores because it continues to appeal to young and old, male and female. Technically, RYO is loose cigarette 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…