Tobacco Retailer articles from August 2004

Tobacco Retailer archives from August 2004

Battle lines are drawn.(Editor's Note)(Editorial)
August 1, 2004... Though I highly doubt that it had anything to do with our call for action on these pages in June, an historic step toward Food & Drug Administration regulation of cigarettes and other tobacco products came on July 15 when the Senate, by a vote...

FTC green-lights RJR, B & W merger.(Industry News)(R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co)(Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp)(Federal Trade Commission)
August 1, 2004... On June 22, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., Winston-Salem, N.C., and Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp., Lousiville, Ky., were cleared to merge by the Federal Trade Commission, giving the green light to a marriage of the nation's No. 2 and No. 3...

Commonwealth Brands challenges attorneys general.(Industry News)
August 1, 2004... Commonwealth Brands Inc., Bowling Green, Ky., has filed a motion to force New York state attorney general Eliot Spitzer, and the attorneys general of Connecticut, New Mexico, Arkansas and Virginia, to fulfill obligations they undertook in the...

New York switches to self-extinguishing smokes.(Industry News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... On June 28, New York state fired up its fire-safe cigarette law, becoming the first state to require that only self-extinguishing cigarettes be sold. NACS Daily previously reported that thanks to the lobbying efforts of the New York...

Reports: fewer U.S., Canadian youth are lighting up.(Industry News)
August 1, 2004... The United States teenage smoking rate has dropped to its lowest rate since 1975, according to a report released in June by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the Associated Press, the CDC said 22 percent of high...

"Historic" cigarette tax bill passed in New York.(Industry News)
August 1, 2004... The New York Association of Convenience Stores hailed as "historic" the state Legislature's passage of a bill that requires the state Department of Taxation and Finance to begin collecting taxes on Indian sales of cigarettes, motor fuel and...

Michigan bumps tax to $2 per pack; N.J. adds on.(Industry News)
August 1, 2004... On July 1, Michigan's cigarette tax climbed to $2 per pack, making the state the second to have a cigarette tax of $2 per pack or higher. Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm has said that the state's poor health status could be bolstered by...

Imperial Tobacco Group acquires CTC Tube CO.(Industry News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... On May 26, Imperial Tobacco Group PLC, Bristol, England, announced the acquisition of the business and assets of the filter tubes manufacturer CTC Tube Company of Canada, Toronto, strengthening the group's position in the papers and tubes...

RJR launches business-to-business Web site.(Industry News)(RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Business owners and operators searching for ways to oppose cigarette excise tax increases and smoking bans now have a new tool at their disposal thanks to R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Winston-Salem, N.C.. "We often hear from business...

Swedish Match increases Timber Wolf can size.(Industry News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Swedish Match North America, Richmond, Va., has increased the amount of tobacco in every can of Timber Wolf by 10 percent. "As a company, we are continually evaluating new ways to bring value to the consumers that enjoy Swedish Match...

NATO Expo to relocate in 2005.(Industry News)
August 1, 2004... Following a 2004 NATO Conference & Expo that set a record for attendance and exhibits, the association announced that the show had outgrown its accommodations at the Rio Hotel & Casino, where the show was held for the first two years of its...

Sissom new Music City Marketing president.(Industry News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... On May 24, Nashville, Tenn.-based Music City Marketing owner Bill Nunnelly announced the promotion of Arron Sissom to the position of president of the company. Sissom has been with Music City for more than eight years in a variety of...

Massachusetts to ban workplace smoking.(Industry News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... On June 18, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney signed a statewide smoke-free workplace law, prohibiting smoking in all workplaces, including restaurants, bars and clubs beginning on July 5. Smoke-free workplace laws had already been adopted in...

AMA wants "R" rating for movies with smoking.(Industry News)
August 1, 2004... Delegates to the American Medical Association have asked their organization to recommend equating smoking to graphic violence, language and nudity on the silver screen, meaning that smoking in movies would earn the films an "R" rating. ...

XIKAR enhances customer service, manufacturing.(Industry News)
August 1, 2004... XIKAR, Inc., Kansas City, Mo., has reported two changes to increase responsiveness to customer's needs, and to smooth and expedite the flow of product. First is the addition of Phillip Barnhart as XIKAR's new customer service manager. ...

Alec Bradley opens new warehouse.(Industry News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Plantation, Fla.-based Alec Bradley Cigar Company has moved into new office and warehouse facilities in Dania, Fla. "Our retailer accounts have quadrupled in the past two-and-a-half years," said Alan Rubin, Alec Bradley's president and...

MacLaren accepts post with Beach Cigar Group.(Industry News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Roy MacLaren, an 18-year field sales management veteran of the tobacco industry, has accepted the position of vice president of sales and marketing for Miami-based Beach Cigar Group, producers of the Gurkha brand of premium cigars. MacLaren was...

Philip Morris and EU reach agreement.(Industry News)(European Union)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... In July, Philip Morris reached a deal with the European Union to help combat the black-market cigarette trade. The tobacco company will pay $1.25 billion to assist the EU in its fight against black-market sales of cigarettes, which rob...

Study: anti-tobacco ads effective with youth.(Industry News)(Industry Overview)
August 1, 2004... Anti-tobacco television ads that generate fear or sadness by showing the diseases caused by smoking are effective in reaching youth, compared to ads that are funny and entertaining or focus on what is or isn't cool, according to a study...

Minimum-wage increase defeated in Senate.(Industry News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... On July 8, Sen. Ted Kennedy's, D-Mass., attempt to attach a minimum-wage increase onto the Class Action Reform bill was thwarted when cloture failed by a vote of 44-43. The motion to invoke cloture required 60 votes. Kennedy continued to...

Star Scientific lawsuit against RJR can go to trial.(Industry News)(RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... On June 28, Star Scientific, Inc., Chester, Va., announced that the presiding judge in the company's patent infringement lawsuit against Winston-Salem, N.C.-based RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company, Inc., Judge Alexander Williams, Jr., had issued an...

Judge curtails Kool ad campaign.(Industry News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... In June, Reuters reported that a New York state judge sharply curtailed a hip-hop marketing campaign by Brown & Williamson, Louisville, Ky., the maker of Kool cigarettes, that New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer had attacked for targeting...

Tabacalera Perdomo mourns loss of Nicholas Perdomo.(Industry News)(Obituary)
August 1, 2004... Nicholas Grovy Perdomo, Sr., who headed cigar production for Miami-based Tabacalera Perdomo S.A., passed away on July 2 at his home in Esteli, Nicaragua. He was 66. Perdomo was born on Sept. 10, 1937 in San Jose de la Lajas, Cuba, the son...

New database of self-reported smokers released.(Industry News)(Vente Inc)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Vente, Inc., Omaha, Neb., has released the file Smoker Responders which contain the industry's most comprehensive database of self-reported tobacco users, compiled from online surveys, direct response e-mail marketing and consumers visiting...

Swedish Match promotes Carr.(Industry News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Swedish Match North America, Richmond, Va., has announced the promotion of Dan Carr to senior vice president of sales and marketing. Carr previously served as vice president of sales. "Dan has driven innovation in our sales organization...

Three cigars to be featured at Scotch Whisky Tasting Extravaganza.(Industry News)(The Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America, Ltd)(11th Annual Single Malt and Scotch Whisky Tasting )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... In June, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America, Ltd., announced that Montecristo, Don Diego Reserve and Onyx Reserve cigars will be the featured cigars of this fall's 11th Annual Single Malt and Scotch Whisky Tasting Extravaganza tasting...

Senate approves historic bill giving FDA regulation of tobacco.(Washington Report)(Food and Drug Administration)
August 1, 2004... On July 15, Reuters reported that the Senate overwhelmingly approved a landmark tobacco deal to give the Food and Drug Administration long-sought power to regulate cigarettes and give $12 billion in aid to tobacco farmers. Though hailed as...

Counterparts: the best-selling tobacco accessories generate profit, but do you really know which ones they are?
August 1, 2004... What a difference tobacco accessories make. Look around at some of the more sophisticated tobacco enthusiasts gracing cafe tables and wine bars and you'll be amazed at the type of tobacco accessories at their sides. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Many meanings, one desire: no matter how you define it, a complete security system is a must for the CTS retailer.(Operations)
August 1, 2004... In the dictionary, "security" is a noun, an adverb or an adjective. It can mean anything from the effort to make a person safe to the group of people designed to provide it. In retail business, however, security is an emotion. It is a...

Finding flavor: revival of the flavored-cigar segment becoming a boom to retailers.(Product Profile)
August 1, 2004... Sweet vanilla, black cherry and chocolate are back, and CTS industry insiders are trumpeting the return of a favorite and improved segment. Consumers have a taste for flavored cigars, again. After the flavored boom of the early 1990s--with...

Frontline wakeup call.(The Personnel Touch)
August 1, 2004... For the past seven years, my company has represented the Coalition For Responsible Tobacco Retailing, by facilitating the "We Card" tobacco-compliance training seminars. Attendees consist of retailers who sell tobacco products throughout the...

Get out the vote.(NATO News)
August 1, 2004... This year, the outcome of the November presidential elections may have a dramatic impact on the tobacco industry and tobacco stores, in particular. In the event that Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is elected, there is a greater...

Free second opinion.(Tax Tips)
August 1, 2004... "Today, changes must come fast. and we must adjust.... We must assume that there is probably a better way to do almost everything." This quote, by Donald M. Nelson, sure describes second opinions when it comes to estate planning, wealth...

Tangy taste of tequila in new Swisher offering.(Product News)
August 1, 2004... New Swisher Sweets Tequila Perfectos offers cigar smokers a shot of the tangy taste of tequila combined with the mellow, smooth tobaccos that have made Swisher Sweets famous. Tequila Perfectos are now available in five-packs or a bonus box of...

Alec Bradley introduces collectible ashtray line.(Product News)
August 1, 2004... Alec Bradley Cigar Company has commissioned Bram Warren, a noted South Beach artist and ceramist, to create a new line of collectible cigar ashtrays. The collection is designed to harmonize with different decor in homes, offices and other...

Torano debuts private cigar.(Product News)
August 1, 2004... Torano Cigars has unveiled a new premium cigar, revealing that it has been the family's private cigar for years. Previously unnamed, the company has branded it "Casa Torano." The cigar comes in four classic shapes: Robusto, Corona, Toro and...

Mammoth Ivory highlights new XIKAR cutter set.(Product News)
August 1, 2004... XIKAR, Inc., has introduced the Fossil Mammoth Ivory cigar cutter and knife gift set. The Alaskan or Siberian fossilized mammoth ivory used for the handles is at least 10,000 years old. Each piece is unique, and has its own unusual mosaic of...

Spirit of Cuba latest Alec Bradley offering.(Product News)
August 1, 2004... Spirit of Cuba Habano by Alec Bradley Cigar Company has joined the company's lineup of "three-a-day" value-priced premium cigars. Habano's mixed-filler cigar, also called a "Cuban Sandwich," combines the trimmed tobacco leaves from Alec...

Beach Cigar Group adds to Gurkha line.(Product News)
August 1, 2004... Beach Cigar Group has announced the availability of two new Gurkha premium cigars this summer. The first, Gurkha Symphony, will be available in three shapes: 6 X 50 Robusto, 7.5 X 52 Churchill and 6.5 X 52 Torpedo. The wrapper is a Connecticut...

Indianhead offers new American Stogies shapes.(Product News)
August 1, 2004... Indianhead is offering tinned presentations for two new shapes of its value-priced American Stogies premium cigars. American Stogies Petite Coronas (4.25 X 40) are now available in European-style clamshell tins of eight and the Ten Little...

Heavenly Display Box saves space, money.(Product News)
August 1, 2004... Heavenly Cigar Company has introduced its new Heavenly Cigar Display Box that holds the equivalent of five boxes of Heaven flavored cigars, but only occupies the shelf space of 2.5 boxes. The refillable bins hold 125 Heaven cigars. The Display...

Tumbleweed cheroots give Wild West feel.(Product News)
August 1, 2004... Felipe Gregorio, Inc., has announced the availability of Tumbleweed, the company's first rough-cut cheroot. The modern-day version of the Wild West favorite includes an uncut foot, giving it the desired appearance of having been hand-rolled on...

Humidipak releases Boveda Seasoning Packet.(Product News)
August 1, 2004... Humidipak, Inc., has unveiled a new product and service designed to meet the needs of those that love, buy and age premium cigars. The product, named Boveda, has been specifically configured to work in desktop humidors. Boveda is Spanish for...

Alec Bradley adds to Occidental line.(Product News)
August 1, 2004... A new, 100 percent long-filler, handmade cigar line from Alec Bradley Cigar Company, the Occidental Reserve Double Maduro, has been introduced. The Occidental Reserve Double Maduro comes in the same five shapes as the Natural line: Robusto,...

"El Gordo" joins Puros Indios lineup.(Product News)
August 1, 2004... There's a new addition to Puros Indios Cigars' classic premium cigar line, and it's big. "El Gordo" measures 6 X 60, surpassing Puros Indios' previous biggest shape, the 6 X 56 Bronco. The El Gordo filler is a blend of Nicaraguan, Dominican and...

"Rough Rider Sweets" hearken to frontier days.(Product News)
August 1, 2004... Indianhead has introduced "Rough Rider Sweets," an alternative to mass-market cheroots. The handmade Rough Rider Sweets are 100 percent tobacco and hearken to America's frontier days. The heads are clean-cut, so smokers don't have loose tobacco...

Signature Collection limited to 1,000 boxes.(Product News)
August 1, 2004... Beach Cigar Group has unveiled its newest line, the ultra-exclusive, limited-production "K. Hansotia Series Signature Collection." Only 1,000 boxes will be made available. The series uses a naturally fermented maduro Connecticut shade wrapper...

"Capas" line highlights Felipe Gregorio offerings.(Product News)
August 1, 2004... Felipe Gregorio, Inc., has introduced two versions of the new "Capas" cigar line. The first is the Dos Capas ("two wrappers"), featuring Sumatran and Connecticut Shade leaves, double-wrapped to resemble a barber pole. The Tres Capas adds a...

Torano continues line with Tribute 2004 cigar.(Product News)
August 1, 2004... Torano Cigars is introducing the second annual Carlos Torano Tribute premium cigar. The company began the series last year, named in honor of the late Carlos Torano, son of the founder of the family business in Cuba, in 1916. Sharing the same...

Cusano Cigars marks 10th anniversary.(Product News)
August 1, 2004... Cusano Cigars is commemorating its 10th anniversary by introducing a limited-edition 10th anniversary blend. Packaged in collector boxes of 10, each is identified with an engraved metal plate and unique serial number. The cigar is a 5 X 42...

JOB 1.5 SLIM added to republic's JOB line.(Product News)
August 1, 2004... Republic Tobacco, L.P., has announced the introduction of JOB 1.5 SLIM Cigarette Papers, a slimmer premium cigarette paper in a new intermediate size. The 1.5 SLIM is a line extension of the popular JOB 1.5 brand and will be introduced in a...

Wave 100s now come in crush-proof box.(Product News)
August 1, 2004... JT International USA, Inc., has announced that its full line of 100mm-sized WAVE cigarettes will be packaged in a crush-proof box beginning this fall. Adult smokers of all five products in the WAVE 100s line--WAVE Full 100s, WAVE Lights 100s,...

Zippo releases new Playboy Decades Series.(Product News)
August 1, 2004... Playboy and Zippo Manufacturers have created Playboy's "Decades Series," a collection of four Zippo lighters that showcase a memorable Playboy magazine cover dating from 1967 through 1988. The four lighters in Playboy's Decades Series are: June...

Swisher expands Optimo line.(Product News)
August 1, 2004... Swisher International has announced two additions to the Optimo line: Optimo Corona Deluxe and Corona Extra. These natural-leaf cigars are slow burning for an enjoyable, smooth, relaxing smoke. Optimo Corona Deluxe features an imported,...

Swisher adds flavors to little cigars line.(Product News)
August 1, 2004... Swisher International has added two new flavors to its lineup. Swisher Sweets Little Cigars Peach and Strawberry are sure to be big hits with little cigar smokers. Look for Swisher Sweets Little Cigars Peach and Strawberry in an introductory...