Tabacalera USA has appointed Rob Maneson CEO of its JR Cigar unit.
Maneson, who previously was general manager of Tabacalera’s Casa de Montecristo division, will head JR Cigar from the company’s base in Whippany, New Jersey, USA.
He will continue to report to the head of Tabacalera USA, Javier Estades, who said a new general manager for Casa de Montecristo will be appointed soon.
“Rob’s elevation to head JR Cigar reflects his leadership and an experience gained in the organization over a number of years—including prior management experience with both JR Cigar and Altadis USA, and most recently with Casa de Montecristo,” said Estades.
One of the largest internet and retail cigar companies in the United States, JR Cigar is the U.S.-based premium cigar operations of Imperial Brands.
Habanos earned $445 million from Cuban cigar sales in 2016, 5 percent more than in 2015.
Vice President of Development Javier Terres attributed the uptick to steady growth in traditional markets such as Spain, France, Germany and Britain, as well as an increase in sales in emerging markets such as Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region.
Speaking at the opening of the 19th International Habanos Festival in Havana, Terres said that the increase in sales, despite tough regulations in certain European markets, is a “good sign” for Cuban cigars.
However, the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba continues to be a major impediment to growth, he noted.
The Cause of Action Institute (CoA Institute) on Tuesday filed an amicus curiae brief in support of a challenge to a new regulation that threatens small premium-cigar businesses in the US.
The CoA Institute filed its brief in support of the plaintiffs: the Cigar Association of America, the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Association, and Cigar Rights of America.
These groups have brought a lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration challenging a new regulation with what the CoA Institute described as far-ranging, negative economic impacts on consumers and small businesses engaged in the premium cigar industry.
‘The new regulation finalized by FDA unfairly targets America’s smaller-scale cigar manufacturers, trampling on a proud American heritage and eliminating economic opportunity for many small businesses,’ the CoA Institute said in a press note.
“Common sense appears to be dead at the FDA,” Patrick Massari, assistant vice president at the CoA Institute was quoted as saying. “Inexplicably, the FDA ignored tens of thousands of comments from the premium cigar industry, Congress, local government, media, and the citizens of the United States, particularly those affected in ways large and small by FDA’s power grab. Under this new rule, the tradition of premium, hand-rolled cigars handed down by generations will turn into a corporate profit mill.”
‘In its brief, CoA Institute argues that FDA failed to conduct a legally sufficient cost-benefit analysis, as required by federal law and Executive Orders issued by President Clinton and President Obama,’ the press note said. ‘Specifically, President Clinton’s 1993 EO 12866 requires that “[e]ach agency shall tailor its regulations to impose the least burden on society, including individuals, businesses of differing sizes, and other entities (including small communities and governmental entities), consistent with obtaining the regulatory objectives, taking into account, among other things, and to the extent practicable, the costs of cumulative regulations. [emphasis added]’
‘The limited analysis FDA produced either omitted or glossed over several important costs:
First, premium cigar prices will substantially increase for all consumers as a result of the rule;
Second, the sheer compliance costs of FDA’s regulation will be so high that smaller, family-owned businesses will no longer be able to comply;
Third, the resulting government-defined marketplace will cripple consumer choice and bar future innovation.
‘Many companies will likely have no choice but to sell out to larger corporations, which will then dominate the market as regulation-protected monopolies.
‘The FDA itself admits that it failed to do any analysis on consumer choice, saying: “We lack a baseline estimate of consumer valuation of tobacco product variety, making it impossible to estimate how consumers who continue to use tobacco products would value the potential loss of variety due to product exit under this final rule”. Instead, the FDA ignored this essential element of cost-benefit analysis by pretending that such data does not exist.
‘In its brief, CoA Institute calls on the Court to order FDA to reopen its cost-benefit analysis and to vacate and remand the final rule.’
Tabacalera USA has appointed Rob Norris as general manager of its Altadis USA premium cigar division. He will be based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and report to Javier Estades, the head of Tabacalera USA.
Previously, Norris was the CEO of JR Cigar. Prior to joining JR Cigar, he was the head of sales and trade marketing for Altadis USA.
A new general manager for JR Cigar will be appointed shortly. In the meantime, Wanda Rosella, JR Cigar’s chief financial officer, will be managing the business.
“Rob’s elevation to head Altadis USA reflects his leadership abilities and significant experience gained in the organization over a number of years. Rob brings to this new post a full understanding of the overall premium cigar category,” Estades said.
Tabacalera USA is the U.S. premium cigar division of U.K.-based Imperial Brands.
The Cause of Action Institute (CoA Institute) on Tuesday filed an amicus curiae brief in support of a challenge to a new regulation that threatens small premium-cigar businesses in the US.
