Flavored products and natural leaf wrappers remain popular with consumers despite increased taxation and looming FDA intervention. By Frank Seltzer, Contributing Editor. Machine-made or mass-market cigars are by far the largest segment of the cigar universe. While premium cigars get most of the notice in magazines and blogs, the reality is that most cigar smokers…

Industry members are encouraged to read and comment on the guidance. Draft guidance, Establishing that a Tobacco Product was Commercially Marketed in the U.S. as of Feb. 15, 2007, has been posted to the Federal Register and on the FDA’s Center For Tobacco Products (CTP) Website today, to encourage feedback from those in the industry.…

For all the controversy surrounding cigarettes and increased local and federal taxes, cigarette sales fared well in 2010, according to SymphonyIRI Group. For the 52 weeks ended Dec. 26, 2010, cigarette sales totaled more than $53.5 billion, up 5.21% from the pervious 12 months. Units sold increased 1.52% to slightly more than nine billion. The…

Retailers are encouraged to submit Webinar topics that would most benefit them to the FDA Center for Tobacco Products. FDA Center for Tobacco Products is hosting a new series of one-hour Webinars on federal tobacco regulations. Designed to give retailers updated, relevant FDA compliance training information, the series features an interactive format with topics based…

Amid the chaos of legislation and taxation, convenience store retailers remain optimistic they can retain OTP customers and even pick up some new ones trading down from cigarettes. By: Joe Bush, Contributing Editor. Not much been predictable about the tobacco category over the past 18 months. Huge taxes increases have renewed questions about just how…

Like all Dean’s cigars and pipe tobaccos, Dean’s new Heavy Weights cigars, a product of M & R Holdings, contain only the highest-quality tobacco. Heavy Weights are the same size as the company’s 2003 release—its 100mm Dean’s Large Cigars—containing slow-burning, air-cured burley filler and 100% homogenized tobacco wrapper. Both filter-tipped cigar brands come in nine…

The We Card Program offers seven steps c-store retailers need to take right now. By: Doug Anderson, President, The We Card Program. Before FDA regulations took effect, it was enough to prevent an underage tobacco sale. The question, “Is this customer old enough to buy tobacco?” ruled the day. That way of thinking falls short…

Swisher International has introduced a new white grape flavor to its lineup of Swisher Sweets Cigars. The white grape flavor offers customers a mild-sweet taste, smooth flavor and an excellent aroma. These new cigarillos are individually wrapped in the company’s sealed-fresh foil wrapping and come in a variety of packaging—Bonus Box 60s, 25-count impulse units…

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…

“We are taking this action reluctantly after the FDA failed to constitute the committee in accordance with the law and failed to properly address legitimate concerns regarding fairness and impartiality,” says Lorillard’s senior vice president. Lorillard Inc. today filed suit to stop Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from receiving or relying on recommendations from its…