Category: Featured

  • Korean Sales Fall for First Time in Years

    Korean Sales Fall for First Time in Years

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    South Korean cigarette sales fell in 2023 for the first time in four years, reports Yonhap News Agency, citing data from the finance ministry. Electronic cigarette demand, however, grew.

    Last year, South Koreans purchased 3.61 billion cigarette packs, down 0.6 percent from 2022, the first on-year decrease since 2019’s 0.7 percent fall. 

    Sales of duty-free cigarettes increased 60.7 percent in 2023 in line with an increase in post-pandemic tourists.

    Traditional cigarette sales fell 2.8 percent, but heat-not-burn electronic cigarettes increased 12.6 percent.

    Last year, electronic cigarettes accounted for 16.9 percent of total sales, an increase from 12.4 percent in 2021.

  • E-cigarette Smugglers Found in Finland

    E-cigarette Smugglers Found in Finland

    Photo: Kekyalyaynen

    Finnish Customs uncovered a substantial e-cigarette smuggling operation in Helsinki, according to The Helsinki Times. The operation involved illicit imports from China.

    Customs officers discovered a shipment of about 1,000 nicotine e-cigarettes during routine inspections at a courier terminal in Helsinki. The suspect had ordered about 1,600 e-cigarettes from China in 2023.

    Finland prohibits importation of vapes through “distant communication methods” like online orders. Penalties can range from fines to imprisonment plus paying back evaded taxes and illicit gains.

    Some people are unaware of the rules, however. “Not all those persons always know that it is illegal to order and distribute e-cigarettes,” said Marko Laitinen, investigation leader, referring to young people ordering e-cigarettes. “Once you get caught doing that, it always entails criminal liability.”

  • Farmers Told to Destroy Seedbeds or Risk Arrest

    Farmers Told to Destroy Seedbeds or Risk Arrest

    Image: Global Image Archive

    Tobacco farmers in Zimbabwe must destroy seedbeds or risk fines or imprisonment of up to two years, reports The Sunday Mail.

    The revised tobacco planting deadline passed on Jan. 15, following a pushback from Dec. 31.

    Zimbabwe’s Plant Pests and Disease Act requires farmers to destroy all living tobacco plants on seedbeds by Dec. 31.

    “The last date of destroying all tobacco plants in seedbeds was Jan. 15, 2024, and in this case, it passed, and farmers need to abide by that,” said Leonard Munamati, acting chief director of Agricultural Advisory and Rural Development Services.

    “Pathogens, such as potato virus Y and bushy top virus, are a result of poor management and failure to comply with the regulation dates,” said Cleopas Chinheya, head of Kutsaga’s plant health services. “Clearing seedbeds breaks the life cycle of pests and pathogens and viral transmission from seedbeds or fields.”

    “Complying to the regulated dates does not benefit the enforcers but the farmers,” said George Seremwe, president of the Tobacco Association of Zimbabwe. “If we let pests and disease carry over on our land, it is us who suffer.”

    “We always urge our fellow farmers to be responsible in their operations,” said Seremwe.

  • Council Urges Steep Tobacco Tax Increase

    Council Urges Steep Tobacco Tax Increase

    Photo: Krakenimages.com

    Hong Kong’s anti-smoking watchdog has called for a 75 percent increase in tobacco tax to meet international standards, reports the South China Morning Post.

    If the tax rate is increased by 75 percent, the smoking rate could decrease by 0.7 percentage points to 8.8 percent, according to the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health. The council added that other control measures would be necessary to bring the city’s smoking rate down to the 7.8 percent goal by next year.

    The call for a tax increase comes before next month’s budget. Last year, the tax was increased 31.5 percent.

    “Raising tobacco tax should be prioritized for achieving the smoking reduction target,” council chairman Henry Tong Sau-chai said at a press conference.

    “[The increase last year] was insufficient to compensate for the price gap caused by the freezing of the tax rate in the previous eight years.”

    The World Health Organization has stated that the tax should account for at least three-quarters of the retail price of cigarettes, meaning Hong Kong would need an increase of 75 percent.

    “[Hong Kong is] in a really good position to reduce prevalence to the point in getting close to what we call the ‘endgame,’” said Hana Ross, an honorary research associate from the University of Cape Town’s school of economics. 

    Forty-one countries, including France, the United Kingdom and Australia, have reached the WHO’s recommended level of tobacco tax.

  • FEELM Launches Charge-Free Disposable

    FEELM Launches Charge-Free Disposable

    FEELM, a vaping industry leader in closed-system products, has launched the world’s first charge-free vaping system. The new Power Alpha 2.0 solves the problem of needing repeated charging in the large puff vapes currently popular on the market.

    FEELM started developing the charge-free battery technology that can empower large-puff vapes as early as 2022. The previous version of the company’s original Power Alpha technology could only support 6,000 puffs without charging.

    The upgrade more than doubles the count to 15,000 puffs, according to an emailed press release.

    FEELM states that the Power Alpha 2.0 also solves the issues of decaying tastes in cotton mesh coils, realizing consistently true flavors in every puff.

    The Power Alpha 2.0 is equipped with FEELM’s TopPower technology. “Relying on this technology, the energy density of Power Alpha 2.0’s battery cells is 40 percent higher than … products of the same size, making Power Alpha 2.0’s battery cells 40 percent smaller than … products with the same amount of power.

    “The extremely low self-discharge rate is another addition to benefits. A 700 percent lower self-discharge rate compared others on the market, which can lead to a longer shelf life and better support customers’ global market rollout.”

    The Power Alpha 2.0 also uses a unique Mesh constant power solution, leading to a taste that is 300 percent more consistent than other products on the market, according to FEELM.

    “With the substantial increase in the vapor volume and atomization efficiency, Power Alpha 2.0 supports the ability to fully vaporize the e-liquids for richer and fuller flavors, ” the release states. “Experiment data shows that the Power Alpha 2.0 solution’s atomization efficiency has increased by 200 percent along with an increased vapor volume of 49 percent compared to similar products from competitors. The numbers show a very evident advantage.”

  • KT&G Finalizes CEO Candidates Shortlist

    KT&G Finalizes CEO Candidates Shortlist

    Photo: uaPieceofCake

    The governance committee of KT&G Corp. finalized the first shortlist of KT&G CEO candidates on Jan. 31 and recommended the finalized list to the CEO candidate recommendation committee. The first shortlist includes four external candidates and four internal candidates.

    The governance committee held eight meetings since the end of December to oversee the open recruitment for CEO candidates and conduct comprehensive assessments. Subsequently, the committee selected the first shortlist by taking into account impartial and objective opinions from the advisory panel composed of external experts.

    The CEO candidate recommendation committee will now assess the candidates from the first shortlist in order to ensure sufficient candidate validation and select the most suitable candidate for the CEO position. The committee will finalize the second shortlist of three to four individuals by mid-February and disclose the list upon its finalization.

    Then, the CEO candidate recommendation committee will conduct face-to-face interviews with the candidates on the second shortlist to thoroughly review each candidate. Following the assessment, the committee will name the final CEO candidate and report to the board of directors by the end of February. The board of directors will then table the agenda for the annual general meeting of shareholders after resolution, and the CEO will be appointed following the approval at the annual general meeting of shareholders in late March.

    The CEO candidate recommendation committee is composed entirely of outside directors, without the participation of the incumbent CEO, Bok-in Baek.

  • Pax Labs Files Patent Suit Against Stiizy

    Pax Labs Files Patent Suit Against Stiizy

    Credit: Stiizy

    Pax Labs Inc. has filed a lawsuit against the vape brand Stiiizy Inc. and its manufacturer ALD Group Ltd. for allegedly infringing four patents with vape pens they make and sell.

    Stiiizy and Hong Kong-based ALD make vaporizing devices, including a cartridge and battery, that utilize methods similar to Pax Labs’ patents, according to separate complaints filed Monday in the US District Court for the Central District of California, according to media reports.

    Pax Labs said the companies infringed U.S. Patent Nos. 11,369,756, 11,369,757, 11,766,527, and 11,759,580, which deal with methods for leak-resistant vaporizer cartridges and apparatuses.

    The patents are all labeled as a “Leak-resistant vaporizer device.”

  • Luciano Cigars, Peter James Launch JV

    Luciano Cigars, Peter James Launch JV

    Luciano Cigars and Peter James Co. have announced the launch of Peter James Cigar Co., a new joint venture that will include cigars and accessories released in the near future.

    According to Luciano Meirelles, the new entity is a joint venture equally owned by Peter James Co. and Meirelles and his business partner, Tiago Splitter. The new company will hold the Peter James trademark in the U.S. as well as other trademarks for future products, according to Halfwheel.

    The two are working on a new cigar that will be launched in March, though details about its specifics have not been announced. However, the cigars will be produced at the Luciano Tabacos S.A. factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, and Luciano Cigars will distribute them.

    “This partnership is an extraordinary moment—a fusion of expertise and passion,” said Meirelles in a press release. “My love for the Peter James brand goes beyond their craft and luxury products.

    “There is an intentionality in everything they do: even the smallest details reveal beauty where most people won’t see it. That act of generosity carries beauty and passion into our world. We couldn’t be more excited for what’s to come.”

  • Registration Opens for 2024 Habano Festival

    Registration Opens for 2024 Habano Festival

    Registration for the 2024 Habano Festival is now available through an online accreditation system at https://registrations.habanos.com. Those hopeful to attend can review all activities and make a payment online with a credit card.

    Typically, registration for the event happens in November of the previous year. This year, registration was delayed by approximately two months. No reason was given by Habanos for the delay.

    The registration period for the Habano Festival will be open from January 30th to February 12th or until the slots available are exhausted.

    “Once payment has been made, you will receive an email with a QR code which you may present it per activity, either on your phone or printed, along with the physical invitation given to you at Palco Hotel, Convention Center, Havana,” the release states. “Thank you for your interest; we look forward to seeing you at the most important Premium tobacco event in the world: the Habano Festival.”

    The events and costs are:

    • Welcome Evening — €530 ($574) — Event commemorating the 30th anniversary of Habanos S.A. to be held at Club Havana;
    • Visit to Plantations in the Pinar del Río region — €170 ($184)
    • International Seminar — €425 ($460);
    • Mid-week Evening — €745 ($807)— Event celebrating 50th anniversary of Quai D’Orsay brand to be held at the El Laguito Protocol Room;
    • Visit to Habanos Factories — €200 ($216);
    • Gala Evening — €1,325 ($1,436) — Dedicated to the 55th anniversary of the Trinidad brand to be held at Pabexpo.

    The exclusive cigar event is to be held in Havana from Feb. 26 – to March 1, 2024.

    Payments in Cuba can also be placed through Havanatur, according to Habanos. For further information, email Havanatur at eventos@havanatur.cu

    Habanos, S.A., the state-run distributor of global Cuban cigars, said in a release that its annual event is “in an international and exclusive atmosphere,” and it will include a wide-ranging program of activities combining the knowledge of the Habano and the exciting culture, including the ending final evening gala dinner and famed humidor auction.

    “In this XXIV Edition, the best specialists, distributors and aficionados will enjoy all the activities that, along with the best gastronomy and music, have made this famous event: visits to renowned Habanos factories, plantations, seminars with interesting lectures, exclusives pairings, contests and three very special nights where they will get a sneak preview of the latest Habanos, S.A. novelties,” the release states.

    Habanos, S.A. is already “working to make this event memorable for the expectations of aficionados with the passion and magic they have come to expect from each new edition.”

  • Sunak Asked to Reconsider Ban

    Sunak Asked to Reconsider Ban

    Photo: Lumos sp

    The U.K. Vaping Industry Association sent a letter to U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to “express profound dismay and disappointment” that the government decided to proceed with a disposable vape ban.

    “This decision jeopardizes the significant progress made in reducing smoking rates in the U.K. and poses a threat to the well-being of millions of adults who have successfully quit smoking with the help of vaping,” the letter reads.

    “We urge the government to reconsider the ban on disposable vapes and adopt a more balanced approach that prioritizes effective enforcement over draconian bans,” the letter says. “A distributor and retailer licensing scheme, as proposed to government repeatedly by the UKVIA, would achieve such an outcome without any cost to the taxpayer.”