E-cigarettes are a big trend on the show floor, with several new manufacturers showcasing electronic products. The Tobacco Plus Expo International (TPE) opened in Las Vegas on March 2 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, bringing together a broad array of tobacco, tobacco products and accessories under one roof. On the show floor, the major…
U.S. Gasoline Prices Climb Amid Egyptian Uprising
By Brian L. Milne, Refined Fuels Editor, Telvent DTN Gasoline price watchers should expect prices at the pump to again nudge higher in closing out January, pushed up by a surge in oil valuations in wholesale trading on Jan. 28 sparked by unrest in Egypt. The rally reversed what would have been a decline in…
Discount Tobacco City Takes on the FDA
When a number of major tobacco companies, including R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., Conwood Co. LLC, Commonwealth Brands Inc., Lorillard Inc. and National Tobacco Co., decided to take on the federal government’s ban on tobacco advertising, they were looking for one retailer to step up and join the fight. They got their wish when Frank Hinton,…
District Court Throws Out NYC Cigarette POS Warnings
The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York declared null and void the New York City resolution mandating that retailers who sell cigarettes display signs containing graphic health warnings, according to Philip Morris USA. The court ruled that such requirements were preempted by federal law. “We are pleased that the Court…
Restraining Order Issued On RYO Machine Rule
According to a Nov. 15 Court decision, the U.S. Treasury’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) is immediately restrained from enforcing the rule issued on Sept. 30, 2010 that regulates the commercial size cigarette-making machines being used in retail stores, the National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO) reported. The Nov. 15 order also…
FDA Proposes Rules on Cigarette Warnings Labels
On Nov. 10, 2010, the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products issued a 140 page document titled “Required Warnings for Cigarette Packages and Advertisement Proposed Rule,” which modifies the current cigarette package warning labels and also requires color graphic warnings to accompany the new text warnings, the National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO) reported. The FDA…
Tax On Reservation Cigarettes On Hold
A federal judge has sided with New York in the latest ruling over the state’s plans to tax most Indian reservation smokeshop sales, but collection of the tax is on hold for now, the New York Post reported. U.S. District Judge Richard Arcara in Buffalo, N.Y. denied a request to block the state from collecting…
RYO Machine Rule Stands
A judge has struck down a request for a temporary restraining order against the U.S. Treasury’s Alcohol Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau’s (TTB) ruling that regulates the commercial size cigarette-making machines being used in retail stores, the National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO) reported. The TTB previously ruled that a retailer who provides a commercial…
Sweetening Cigar Sales
Small filtered cigarellos represent a real albeit temporary opportunity for convenience stores to rack up sales, so get going before the window of opportunity slams shut. These diminutive cigars have gained strong appeal among smokers laboring to afford cigarettes in the wake of multiple tobacco tax hikes. The price differential between filtered cigars and cigarettes…
7-Eleven Adds Promotion Optimization Solution
7-Eleven Inc. has selected KSS Retail for its price modeling, forecasting and optimization solution for 7-Eleven stores in the U.S. and Canada. 7-Eleven plans to use KSS Retail’s PriceStrat and Heartbeat systems to conduct extensive market-basket analytics and affinity analysis to drive more effective promotions. It also plans to deploy PriceStrat’s cigarette buy-down capabilities to…