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Category: Around the Industry

  • Report Outlines the Mozambique Tobacco Industry

    Report Outlines the Mozambique Tobacco Industry

    ResearchAndMarkets.com has released a report on the tobacco industry in Mozambique, including information on production, manufacture and retail, key trends and issues, notable players, trade, and regulations. “Tobacco Industry in Mozambique” also provides information on major influencing factors such as the security situation, economic environment health, environmental issues, and illegal trading. The report includes company profiles of three players including British American Tobacco, Mozambique Leaf Tobacco, and Afro Tobacco Company.

    For marketing trends, it reports on:

    • An increase in tobacco sales revenues
    • Growth in tobacco exports
    • The concession system provides smallholder farmers with a market to sell their tobacco
    • The introduction of seal stamps on tobacco products, to reduce illicit cigarettes
    • The potential for increased tobacco production
  • PM Switzerland Partners to Enhance Visual Merchandising

    PM Switzerland Partners to Enhance Visual Merchandising

    Philip Morris Switzerland, the Swiss affiliate of Philip Morris International, has partnered with LEAFIO AI to enhance its visual merchandising through the implementation of the LEAFIO Shelf Efficiency solution. The collaboration aims to optimize planogram creation, ensuring improved product placement efficiency, and a seamless shopping experience for retailers and consumers alike.

    “At LEAFIO AI, we are committed to empowering CPG manufacturers with cutting-edge technology,” said Andrew Max, CCO of LEAFIO AI. “Our advanced data-driven solutions improve shelf layouts based on deep analytics and worldwide experience; it will support Philip Morris Switzerland’s diverse retail footprint and enhance operational efficiency by reducing manual efforts and enabling quicker decision-making.”

    According to LEAFIO, the company is going to help Philip Morris Switzerland:

    • Streamline planogram creation and optimization to enhance product placement strategies
    • Automate and standardize visual merchandising for improved consistency across

    retail locations

    • Leverage data-driven insights to ensure data-backed decisions that maximize shelf

    performance

    • Enhance collaboration between manufacturers and retail partners by aligning

    planograms with sales and demand trends

  • Reynolds Adding 300 Jobs for Oral Nicotine Production

    Reynolds Adding 300 Jobs for Oral Nicotine Production

    Reynolds American says it plans to add 300 jobs to its North Carolina operation in 2025, driven mainly by expanding its smokeless nicotine product portfolio. Reynolds, the U.S. unit of British American Tobacco and descendant of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, began production of its Velo Plus oral smokeless nicotine pouch last fall in its Reynolds Operations Center in Tobaccoville, a community straddling the Forsyth-Stokes county line north of Winston-Salem.

    According to a statement Friday from Borgia Walker, senior vice president for human resources and inclusion at Reynolds American, the company hired for more than 500 jobs in 2024, the majority of which were directly related to the expanding smokeless lines, mainly Velo Plus, and “aligning our sales force to be even more competitive in the market.”

    “In 2025, we intend to add an additional 300 positions, a combination of local manufacturing and national trade marketing roles,” Borgia added. The majority of the new jobs are in Triad manufacturing, according to the company.

    The Tobaccoville facility is the largest in BAT Group worldwide at two million square feet and is capable of multi-category manufacturing. The addition did not displace production of cigarettes or other tobacco products, according to the company.

    Read the entire article at Triad Business Journal.

  • El Septimo Celebrates 20Years with New Cigar

    El Septimo Celebrates 20Years with New Cigar

    In celebration of its 20th anniversary, El Septimo announced that “its most daring creation yet,” the Doble Gran Reserva cigar, will debut at the 2025 PCA Show in April. Only 1,000 boxes will be produced, each containing 14 Toro cigars (6 x 52 ). The limited edition will be distributed solely through the top-50 retailers worldwide, priced at $125 per cigar and $1,750 per box.

    The company said it sourced the finest tobaccos from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica and meticulously aged them between seven and 10 years. The final blend was a collaboration of more than 60 “esteemed cigar connoisseurs, industry officials, and sommeliers [who] lent their discerning palates and expertise to the design, development, and blending process.”

    “With the Doble Gran Reserva, we have harnessed the collective wisdom of global experts and fused it with groundbreaking scientific techniques in the fermentation process to create an experience that transcends tradition,” said Zaya Younan, CEO of El Septimo. “This cigar is a living testament to our passion for innovation and our unwavering commitment to excellence and producing the best cigars in the world.”

  • Ibis Luis Leaving Plasencia Cigars

    Ibis Luis Leaving Plasencia Cigars

    Plasencia Cigars announced today (March 14) that Ibis Luis would be leaving the company after six years as its sales and marketing specialist. Luis is a Certified Bourbon Steward, a Certified Cigar Sommelier, and somewhat of a celebrity in the cigar world.

    “Ibis has been an incredible member of our team, profoundly shaping our brand and forging strong customer bonds,” said company vice president Jose Luis Plasencia. “While we will deeply miss her presence, we are thrilled that she will remain with us as a consultant. We eagerly anticipate this new chapter in our collaboration and her journey.”

    “Working with the Plasencia family has been an incredible experience, filled with growth, learning, and cherished memories,” Luis said. “They welcomed me as part of their family, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunities. While I am stepping away from my full-time role, I am overjoyed to continue my connection with them as a consultant. The Plasencia’s have a special place in my heart, and I look forward to contributing to their legacy in this new capacity.”

  • La Galera’s Year of the Snake Coming to U.S.

    La Galera’s Year of the Snake Coming to U.S.

    Released earlier this year in Asia, La Galera announced that its limited-edition Year of the Snake cigar will be available in the United States April 2.

    “The cigars are made by Jochy Blanco at his Tabacalera Palma factory in the Dominican Republic,” Gregory Mottola writes for Cigar Aficionado. “Blanco also grew all the Dominican tobacco in the blend. La Galera Year of the Snake measures 7 inches by 47 ring gauge—a standard Churchill size—and is composed of a Mexican San Andrés wrapper, Dominican Olor binder and filler blend of all-Dominican leaf: Criollo ’98, Olor, Piloto Cubano and the hard-to-grow Pelo de Oro varietal. According to Blanco, it’s a full-bodied blend.”

    Each mahogany box is decorated with stamped leather made to resemble snakeskin and comes with a two-finger leather cigar case. La Galera did not indicate what portion of the 2,025 produced boxes will be allocated to the U.S. market, where it will have a suggested retail price of $430 per 10-count box.

  • NewCo Funding Clean Water in Kenya

    NewCo Funding Clean Water in Kenya

    NewCo announced a new initiative where it donates $300 to provide clean and safe water to Masaai communities in rural Kenya for every container of African-origin tobacco it sells.

    “As we celebrate 20 years of proudly serving our suppliers and customers, we want to give back to the communities that make our work possible,” NewCo owner Rainer Busch said. “Over 40% of Kenya’s rural population lacks access to clean drinking water, forcing families – especially women and children – to walk long distances daily just to fetch water. Many rely on contaminated sources, leading to severe health risks like cholera and dysentery.

    “With your support, we can fund sustainable water solutions; improving health, reducing hardship, and empowering entire communities.”

    NewCo is also accepting donations for the cause, with Busch saying, “Any amount, big or small, can accelerate our impact.”

  • Study: Students Vaping in South Africa 

    Study: Students Vaping in South Africa 

    Researchers from the University of Cape Town found that 16.8% of high school students in South Africa used e-cigarettes. The study focused on schools in major cities and included 25,000 students from 52 schools in eight of South Africa’s nine provinces. 

    Students who vaped were asked further questions about the habit, with researchers estimating 61% of the teen vapers could be seriously addicted to nicotine. They also found that household income was not a factor in the use of vape products. When asked why they began vaping, more than half cited social influences and the desire to fit in.

    Published in The Conversation, the study also found that 5% on the students used cannabis and 2% smoked cigarettes.

  • Study: Young Dutch Vapers Unaware of Nicotine

    Study: Young Dutch Vapers Unaware of Nicotine

    A study in the Netherlands found that nearly 40 percent of young people who vape monthly do not know if their e-cigarette contains nicotine, according to a report from the Trimbos Institute. The findings, which expand on 2023 data, highlight a significant gap in awareness about the potentially addictive substance.

    “Young people seem less aware of the nicotine in vapes. This is a serious issue because once addicted, it is very difficult to quit,” said Esther Croes, a tobacco expert at the Trimbos Institute. She added that nicotine use can disrupt brain development in the long term.

    The report surveyed Dutch youth between the ages of 12 and 25 who vape at least once a month. While many said they continue vaping because they enjoy it, nearly 40 percent admitted they did not know whether their device contained nicotine. Additionally, more than two-thirds of respondents said they do not feel addicted.

    According to NL Times, data shows that young people feel more addicted to traditional cigarettes than to vapes. Among those who vape monthly, only 28 percent reported feeling addicted, compared to 50 percent of cigarette smokers. Despite these figures, addiction experts warn that nicotine dependence may develop gradually, and that young people may underestimate the difficulty of quitting.

    According to the study, many respondents cited flavors as their main reason for starting. Social influence and curiosity were also key factors.

  • Zimbabwe Court Approves Urgent Hearing in Pacific Cigarette Tax Dispute

    Zimbabwe Court Approves Urgent Hearing in Pacific Cigarette Tax Dispute

    Pacific Cigarette Company secured approval from Zimbabwe’s High Court for an urgent hearing after it entered into voluntary business rescue over a $19 million tax dispute. The demand from the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) rendered Pacific insolvent, threatening the operations of the nation’s second-largest indigenous tobacco producer.

    The case centers on whether the tax obligations imposed on Pacific during its corporate rescue contravene established insolvency protections or represent enforceable liabilities under Zimbabwean law.

    Pacific argues that the tax demand infringes insolvency protection and so its formal request for a tax clearance certificate from ZIMRA should be granted. The authority, through its tax and revenue management system, established conditions for issuing such certificates in 2023, which Pacific asserts it complied with yet faces contested liabilities following ZIMRA’s revised taxation approach for toll manufacturers. This change saddled Pacific with the disputed tax obligations, compounded by ZIMRA’s garnishment of its bank accounts to make sure the money was paid.

    Justice Gibson Mandaza recognized the urgency of Pacific’s application and directed the case to proceed. He said the draft order under challenge required adjudication on its merits, specifically concerning whether a company under corporate rescue is exempt from tax obligations. The court acknowledged that corporate rescue, a process governed by insolvency laws, aimed to enable companies to reorganize their affairs without undue liabilities and needed to be assessed on a case-by-case basis and could not be presumed at the earlier stages.