How is General selling?

[ABW]

Another member mentioned a few minutes ago that one of the General Dealers close to him stopped selling it because they were not moving enough product...That got me thinking.. How are their test markets etc doing?

I wonder how General is selling? We sometimes get caught up in our own snus world here on snuson and forget that most people have no idea what it is or why they should buy it. In backroads America it probably is a hard sell to get someone to put down the redman and pick up some "fancy" swedish snus..

It must be really hard to get a product like snus into a distribution chain and turn a profit in a short time..

That's why I think companies like V2 and GN Tobacco have the right approach doing what they are doing. They sell there products here in the US almost by word of mouth and they are in touch with real snus users.. They have great customer service and great products and people love to recommend them to other snuser's...They are achieving this without any big start up or distribution cost..(comparatively)

Let's say Swedish Match tanks on a large scale.. companies like V2 and GN will still be selling tons more snus because of their efforts and will still have a solid web based market here in the US..

Let Swedish Match use their resources to get the word out about Real Swedish and then companies like V2 and GN can ride the wave of popularity via the web and a few targeted retailers.. It's a good, safe strategy...

What do you guys think?

[lxskllr]

I think SM has taken a half-assed approach to marketing snus thus far. They don't take chances, and they don't throw enough money at it. GN, Gotland, and V2 are in a very good position to sell snus in the USA. They're small enough that they don't need tremendous sales coming out of the gate. In fact, that could be a negative if they couldn't match production to demand. They can grow organically with the USA market, without being caught short. If SM doesn't wake up, they may find there isn't much market left for them.

[Roo]

It was more than a year ago at least, but at one point my local vendor in a shop downtown told me he sold about 2 rolls per week and he was having trouble keeping up with demand. I don't know if meant combined across the various General offerings or for each type. In any case I think the shops here in Seattle sell a fair amount. Not so much in Phoenix?

[thebeatlesk]

My local shop is always out of or running low on my jakobsson.

[ABW]

Hard to say Roo... DJ's is the place here to get it here and the guy told me that they sold a fair amount but I wonder if that is enough.. It's enough to support companies like V2 and GN but it's nothing to Swedish Match... When you put Snus in these high volume convenient stores it's all about shelf space so if it does not sell enough... out it goes...

That's why I was wondering about the test markets.. I hope it goes great!!

[MikeDubs]

My tobacconist recently told me his only customers are me and one other guy, and he only keeps my favorite flavors (mint white portion, and los) in stock. when I started buying from him he didnt carry anything but wintergreen, mint, and original. I dont run through my cans quickly, only about 1 can of los and 2 cans mint per week, and the other guy apparently buys even less than me.

[ABW]

My tobacconist recently told me his only customers are me and one other guy, and he only keeps my favorite flavors (mint white portion, and los) in stock. when I started buying from him he didnt carry anything but wintergreen, mint, and original. I dont run through my cans quickly, only about 1 can of los and 2 cans mint per week, and the other guy apparently buys even less than me.

See...that's what I am talking about..it's hit or miss..... Hey what part of the Atl are you from? I was born and raised in Dunwoody...

[remanifest]

I'm in far West Texas, and while we sell a LOT of dip/snuff, and even plenty of the pouch snuff, the tobacco shops (which are plentiful) are all taking down their General displays. We also sell lots of Camel snus. Marlboro's snus market has yet to take off, it seems. The other day, I drove across town to find a General fridge sitting on the front counter, empty. All they had were sampler packs. I was informed by the manager that they "didn't hardly sell none", and that it would be scrapped at all of their chains. All the other stores had already stopped carrying it -- this was their high volume store. Other tobacco shops have been the same. I bought the last 3 cans of General from one shop, went back about a week later, and was informed they would no longer be carrying the product. All 3 cans were expired; one by 8 months.

In West Texas, I believe it could sell wonderfully if the proper marketing and retail education were taking place.

[GoVegan]

I would love to buy my snus from the tobacco store near me but not when they are charging $8 for a can of General and refuse to carry anything else.

[Mawdryn]

I think SM has a perception problem with the General line. To me, "General Snus" sounds like "Regular Beer" or "Standard Artichokes". I would think Ettan had a better chance in America...it just sounds so much more classy.

[Jwalker]

I think despite what people say dip is way stronger than snus portions I think snus is in a way more satisfying though not sure how. I still believe swedish match needs to sell at least their sterk brands. The general perception of snus as far as I can tell is that it's a rip off because pouches are a rip off.

[Tristik]

~~
The place in my sig always has stock when I've gone there and the cans are never expired. I haven't been there for awhile, but he has carried it for quite some time now.

The bonus is, he's just over the border so I don't get raped by Wisconsin's tobacco tax. Illinois' is tiny compared to here in WI. If it was in a shop in WI, I probably would have never bought it from there cause they'd be upwards of 7 bucks a tin instead of closer to 4-ish.
~~

[GoVegan]

I think it would have been much different if Swedish Match decided to take a more in your face sales tactic like Camel. There tins and little fridges were everywhere! To top it off, they were giving huge discounts for a while and even free cans. Swedish Match seems to have chosen a much different tactic in using specialty tobacco stores and charging high prices. This probably would have worked well when the economy is good but it doesn't seem to be working so well now.

[snusjus]

I think Swedish Match has over-saturated the market with General. Every time I go to a Speedway gas station, the cans are expired. Perhaps the two new products will appeal to consumers, since they aren't shaped like "dip" cans.

[Mawdryn]

Perhaps the two new products will appeal to consumers, since they aren't shaped like "dip" cans.

Don't discount this one...my wife gripes at me every time she sees a snus can in the pocket of my jeans. I usually carry a small bit of loose (3-4 prillas) in an old Cuckoo nasal snuff can instead, because it's small and inconspicuous.

Of course my IceTool looks like a tiny penis in my pocket, but that's another matter entirely...