To enforce trademark rights Top and Republic file a federal lawsuit against a number of wholesale distribution companies and retailers. As part of a vigilant anti-counterfeiting campaign to protect the well-known “TOP” trademarks, Top Tobacco L.P. and Republic Tobacco L.P. filed suit last month in federal court in Chicago against local wholesale distribution companies Midwestern…
Commonwealth Brands, Altadis USA Announce Integration
Commonwealth Brands and Altadis USA have announced the integration of their sales and marketing units into a unified team. The unified team is expected to provide greater sales coverage and more comprehensive service to its customer. “This will put us in a stronger position to drive growth across our USA mass market portfolio that comprises…
Finding Profits with Tobacco Accessories
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandates, scheduled to go into effect on June 22, prohibit retailers from selling cigarettes and smokeless products in self-service displays except in age-restricted stores that ban customers younger than 18 years of age. While retailers in some states, such as New York and Idaho, have already had to comply with…
Lighting the Way
Making money in tobacco accessories—lighters, cigar cutters, humidors, pipes, rolling machines, rolling papers and even hookahs—during the months ahead may not be easy, but it can be done. Three ways to do it: offer novel items, stay on the cutting edge of trends and let customers roll their own. The payoff in 2010 could be…
FDA Clarifies Tobacco Ban
Flavored products including cigarettes, RYO and loose tobaccos and rolling papers are no longer legal in U.S. stores; administration said it would look at “little cigars” and similar products on a “case-by-case basis.” The smoking lamp on the majority of flavored tobacco products sold in convenience stores has been extinguished, but the ruling has ignited…
Give It to Them Raw
RAW Natural Unbleached Rolling Papers are the first of their kind: an unbleached, less processed paper that maintains its original natural brown hue. The paper is extremely thin, almost translucent and uses a sweet sugar-based gum. This product was created in the spirit of Additive Free Cigarettes and the overall market trend towards natural, less…