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Category: Business & Finance

  • Pangea Cigars Joins Premium Cigar Market

    Pangea Cigars Joins Premium Cigar Market

    Today (January 27) marked the official launch of Pangea Cigars, a new premium cigar manufacturer founded by industry veterans Ibis Luis and Anna Ayupova. “Built around a philosophy of disciplined growth, refined craftsmanship, and understated luxury, the brand positions itself as performance-driven rather than trend-led,” the new company said in a press release.

    According to the Miami-based company, the name Pangea draws on the ancient supercontinent to symbolize connection and unity, reflecting the founders’ view of cigars as a shared cultural experience. Luis brings more than 15 years of experience across premium cigar retail, brand development, and manufacturing, including a six-year tenure with Plasencia Cigars, while Ayupova contributes a global background in luxury hospitality, executive leadership, and cigar and wine curation. As part of its debut, Pangea is collaborating with Indiana Ortez of Casa de Ortez on its inaugural product, with blend details and a release timeline to be announced as the company establishes its foundation and visual identity.

  • Hara Brands Targets Argentina’s Growing Accessories Market

    Hara Brands Targets Argentina’s Growing Accessories Market

    Hara Brands announced the expansion of its flagship smoking accessories brand Hemper into Argentina through an exclusive distribution partnership with Buenos Aires–based Tabacalera Sarandí, marking a further step in the company’s international growth strategy. Under the agreement, Tabacalera Sarandí will distribute a curated range of Hemper products—including rolling papers, cones, tips, quick hitters, and select glass accessories—via online channels and selected retail outlets nationwide. The move targets Argentina’s growing smoking accessories market, valued at an estimated $65.5 million in 2024 and projected to exceed $106 million by 2033, driven by sustained demand for roll-your-own products.

  • Filtrona Names Sand-Kristensen New CFO

    Filtrona Names Sand-Kristensen New CFO

    Filtrona announced the appointment of Tom Sand-Kristensen as Chief Financial Officer, where he will oversee the company’s global finance, legal, corporate governance, IT, and enterprise resource planning functions, with Filtrona streamlining internal responsibilities to strengthen accountability, financial discipline, and digital integration. He brings extensive international leadership experience from senior roles at Faerch Group, ROCKWOOL, and Carlsberg, spanning packaging, construction, healthcare, and food and beverage sectors. Filtrona says the appointment supports its long-term growth strategy and ongoing transformation of its specialty filters business, as Sand-Kristensen succeeds Tue Saabye.

  • UK Retailers Bearing Brunt of Disposable Vape Ban

    UK Retailers Bearing Brunt of Disposable Vape Ban

    UK convenience vape sales fell sharply following last year’s disposable vape ban, with unit sales down 20.8% and value sales down 12.7% nearly eight months after implementation, according to data from Clarity by Talysis. Tracking EPoS data from thousands of independent and symbol-group stores, Talysis said the ban has delivered a “triple whammy” of reduced footfall, lower turnover, and higher operational complexity, as reusable and pod-based formats have failed to replace disposable sales fully.

    While overall vape consumption has not declined, shifts to multi-pod and “big puff” reusable products—offering significantly more liquid per purchase—have reduced store visits and transaction frequency, leaving retailers with lower income and more complex stock management amid a surge of new product SKUs. The agency added that tobacco and smoking alternatives’ share of the convenience market has fallen to 30.3%, with vaping no longer offsetting declines in traditional tobacco sales.

  • German Tobacco Use Drops, as ‘Substitutes’ Rise 18%

    German Tobacco Use Drops, as ‘Substitutes’ Rise 18%

    Germany’s taxed cigarette volumes edged higher in 2025, even as long-term tobacco consumption continued to decline, according to preliminary data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). A total of 66.4 billion cigarettes were taxed during the year, up 0.2% (0.1 billion cigarettes) from 2024, but less than half the 146.5 billion recorded in 1991. Per capita cigarette consumption stood at 795 cigarettes in 2025, compared with 1,831 in 1991. Sales of fine-cut tobacco fell 1.2% year on year to 24,864 tons, while cigars and cigarillos declined 6.6% to 2.1 billion units. Hookah tobacco sales dropped 8.8% to 1,162 tons, despite regulatory changes allowing larger pack sizes again, while pipe tobacco rose 2.9% to 323 tons. In contrast, taxed volumes of tobacco substitute products such as e-cigarette liquids increased sharply, rising 18.2% year on year to 1.5 million liters, reflecting continued growth in non-combustible alternatives under Germany’s evolving tobacco tax regime.

  • Walgreens Begins Selling Vapes Again

    Walgreens Begins Selling Vapes Again

    Walgreens began selling vape products in many of its U.S. stores, marking a notable reversal of its 2019 decision to pull e-cigarettes amid concerns over youth use, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. The move comes after the struggling pharmacy chain was acquired by private equity firm Sycamore Partners last year and reflects efforts to open new revenue streams as the retail pharmacy sector faces pressure from online competition and lower reimbursement rates.

    Juul Labs said its products are, or will soon be, available in about 6,000 of Walgreens’ nearly 8,500 locations, while Altria-owned NJOY also lists Walgreens as a retail partner. Walgreens said it is offering “compliant products” for adult consumers, citing changes in the regulatory landscape after the FDA authorized several vaping products starting in 2021.

    Many Walgreens locations still sell cigarettes, though some states and local governments prohibit such products in “pharmacies.”

  • Court Rules Korean Vape Juice Taxes Excessive

    Court Rules Korean Vape Juice Taxes Excessive

    The Seoul Administrative Court has partially ruled in favor of vape juice importers in a lawsuit challenging the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s imposition of National Health Promotion Charges, according to The Korea Herald, finding that while vape juices should be legally classified as cigarettes, the charges applied were excessive and violated principles of proportionality and equality.

    The court noted there was no evidence the importers intentionally misled authorities when declaring their products as derived from tobacco roots and stems, and highlighted that the levies—ranging from 278 million won to 1 billion won ($192,000 to $691,000)—exceeded sales revenue by up to 3.5 times, making payment effectively impossible. The ruling also criticized the flat-rate charge of 525 won ($0.36) per milliliter regardless of nicotine content, saying it failed to reflect differing health risks or serve the law’s public health objectives, while reaffirming that vape juices fall under the Tobacco Business Act’s definition of cigarette products.

  • BAT Japan Launching Two New Velo Flavors

    BAT Japan Launching Two New Velo Flavors

    BAT Japan is set to expand its Velo nicotine pouch lineup with two new flavors: Velo Smooth Peppermint Medium and Velo Breezy Mango Intense. Smooth Peppermint Medium, aimed at beginners, offers a sweet peppermint aroma with a light cooling effect at 4 mg nicotine strength, while Breezy Mango Intense features tropical notes of mango, passion fruit, and orange at 6 mg strength for a stronger experience. Both products come in 15-pouch cans priced at 360 yen ($2.30) and will be available from February 2, through the official glo and Velo online store, glo Store Ginza, and nationwide tobacco retailers, with trial initiatives offered at select outlets and online.

  • JTI to Launch Four New EVO Flavors

    JTI to Launch Four New EVO Flavors

    Japan Tobacco (JT) is set to launch four new EVO variants for its Ploom heated tobacco line, covering mint, capsule (crushball), and regular (non-menthol) flavor segments, according to Neosmo. The variants—Green Mint, Cacao Mint Crystal, Tropical Lime Crystal, and Sakura Regular—will be sold in 20-stick packs at 550 yen ($3.50) each, keeping the range within the same price band. Two flavors go on sale January 22 and the remaining two on February 3, initially through CLUB JT online and Ploom retail stores. Consumers will vote to select one variant for nationwide distribution, including convenience stores, with results expected in early March.

  • IKT Announces New Distribution Structures for Asian Expansion

    IKT Announces New Distribution Structures for Asian Expansion

    International Korea Tobacco (IKT) announced that it has launched aggressive expansion domestically as well as within Indonesia. In both markets, the company has established distribution structures through partnerships with state-owned enterprises, reflecting a high-barrier but strategically positioned market entry. IKT said it contributes more than 20 years of tobacco R&D and manufacturing experience with an annual capacity of 250 million packs.

    In Indonesia, IKT has partnered with the local distributor Mir Six Global to launch the machine-made white cigarette (SPM) products Pointful Blue and Pointful Flow, initiating distribution through approximately 100 Bright Store outlets, the convenience store chain owned by Pertamina Retail, while simultaneously pursuing an expansion into nationwide minimarket chains. This collaboration is regarded as a tobacco distribution partnership aimed at positioning Indonesia as a strategic logistics hub within Southeast Asia, leveraging a Java-centered distribution structure to enhance logistics efficiency and scalability.

    Domestically, IKT signed a distribution agreement with the Korea Supermarket Cooperative Federation, an affiliate of the Korea Federation of SMEs, to supply Pointful Korea cigarettes across South Korea’s small supermarket and convenience store network. The rollout will distribute the brand to more than 50,000 retail outlets nationwide, aiming to revitalize local retail channels and create new profit opportunities for small businesses.