Juul in the crown

The surge in sales of the Juul electronic cigarette is quickly shifting the product from trendy to dominant front runner in the US, according to a story by Richard Craver for the Winston-Salem Journal.
During the latest four-week period tracked by Nielsen through December 30, Juul’s market share increased to 46.8 percent, from 40.0 percent on December 2.
At the same time, R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co.’s Vuse had dropped from 24.3 percent to 20.7 percent.
The current sales represent a drastic switch from a year ago, when Vuse held a 35.4 percent market share and Juul was at 25 percent.
E-cig and vaporizer sales were up overall in the sector, primarily based on price increases during the past 12 weeks.
Juul, which entered the mainstream retail marketplace in 2015, is sold in the form of a pen or a USB device.
It’s market-share growth has drawn criticism from anti-tobacco advocates, who say the discreet shape of the product makes it easy to hide its usage, including by teenagers.
Meanwhile, Craver made the point that Juul had exceeded within the vapor category the top market share (46.2 percent) of Philip Morris USA’s Marlboro brand within the traditional-cigarette category.
Craver’s report is at: http://www.journalnow.com/business/juul-continues-to-expand-e-cig-market-share-gap-with/article_a18fad85-7200-5bc1-a148-a4055bdf2e4b.html.