Vector to sell cheaper snus in US

[darkwing]

From Miami Herald:

Miami-based firm to sell discount snuff
Posted on Tue, Feb. 26, 2008Digg del.icio.us AIM reprint print email
Bloomberg News
Miami-based Vector Group, parent of the fifth-largest U.S. cigarette company, plans to enter the snuff market with a spitless tobacco product that undercuts prices charged by Altria Group and Reynolds American.

Starting in May, Vector's Liggett Group will extend its Grand Prix cigarette brand into smokeless tobacco in Portland, Ore.; Raleigh, N.C.; and five other markets to compete with similar products from Altria's Philip Morris USA and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., Liggett Chief Executive Officer Ronald Bernstein said Tuesday in an interview.

Americans smoke 1 percent to 2 percent fewer cigarettes each year, forcing manufacturers to shift to smokeless tobacco, a $3.7 billion market that's increasing about 6 percent annually.

Liggett, based in Morrisville, N.C., seeks to lure smokers and users of traditional snuff who want small pouches of finely ground tobacco containing nicotine and flavors such as wintergreen. The product goes by the Swedish name, ``snus.''

''Snus is an alternative that fits with what people are looking for,'' Bernstein, 54, said. ``There is now a market for these products.''

[Xobeloot]

I am highly doubting that any American company will ever make a snus product that will appeal to the loose snus user. Seems Marlboro, Camel, etc are just making these highly flavored "candy" snus products. I also dont like mint or menthol. Think i'll be sticking to ordering the real stuff online.

[Shrewd]

Agreed. Also, I suspect the quality might be lower than there Swedish counter-parts. I dunno, at first I though ordering online would be a pain in the a$$ - but for ~40 bucks I can get 10 cans that'll last me a month . I've actually started to enjoy the nights where I have to order more snus - kid in a candy store. It's fun to sit and take your time and think about what you want.

[RealmofOpeth]

Agreed. Also, I suspect the quality might be lower than there Swedish counter-parts. I dunno, at first I though ordering online would be a pain in the a$$ - but for ~40 bucks I can get 10 cans that'll last me a month . I've actually started to enjoy the nights where I have to order more snus - kid in a candy store. It's fun to sit and take your time and think about what you want.

Funny you say that. Ordering snus is fun, so much so I put aside other priorities. When I ordered snus last, I actually fired up Excel, built a long spreadsheet of prices per brand on each of the 2 online snus shops (northerner and buysnus for me). I spent about a couple of hours or so doing this, comparing prices and trying to collate all the data for me to decide which store and if i would make more than one order (split what i wanted to get but separated between stores due to different prices, availabilities).
something that, for me, was rather tedious turned out to be just automatic. i wish i had that same motivation when it came to doing my damn college homework and a bunch of other crap in life, that I even do like but still don't do anything with.
hmm, that reminds me of this particular pattern has a vague similarity to what drug addicts have. they'll do anything without a qualm just to get that drug. but when it comes to anything else they like or their well-being...ehh.
god i hope i don't get somebody to trick me into using meth or something. ironically enough, i actually have to write a research paper on. i could use some to get it done. XD

[Soft Morning, City!]

I won't buy it. Maker of discount American smokes starts venturing into smokeless? No thanks.

[TropicalBob]

Well then, you might need some "incentive" to buy it. How about a whopping tax on all Internet purchases? Where I live, Internet purchases have been free of taxation. I love ordering my snus and waiting a few days for the mail delivery. But the brick and mortar types have been screaming unfair trade practice to the Legislature and now Florida is considering taxing virtually every Internet purchase. Expect special consideration for any tobacco product. We all know that's the Devil's weed. Almost every other state is considering similar tax legislation. Arrrrrgh. There's nowhere to run!

[Xobeloot]

I won't buy it. Maker of discount American smokes starts venturing into smokeless? No thanks.

ROFL! Have you ever had a "Grand Prix" cigarette? they are about as aromatic as that scent you get walking into a truck stop restroom after a chili cookoff :shock:

If they put the same "quality" into their snus as they do their cigarettes, I can say that I would rather make frozen turdcicles to satiate my oral fixation. :lol:

[Soft Morning, City!]

Even when I smoked, I could never summon the courage to try a Grand Prix. I remember a friend of mine bought a pack when he was low on cash. The smell was terrible. It didn't even really smell like tobacco smoke. I don't really know what it smelled like, but rest assured... it was highly unpleasant.

[Jason]

I smoked them once; just imagine a year-old stale GPC that has gotten wet and dried out, except 100 times worse. :P A couple from the pack I bought actually had stems poking through the paper in some spots...

[TropicalBob]

I think the logic of this move is being missed in this thread.

(1) The American dollar today sank to a record low against the Euro.

(2) The American tobacco industry is losing cigarette smokers at a steady rate. It needs to move smokers to a new form of tobacco usage (knowing full well the electronic cigarette from China is breathing fire for the future nicotine market).

Big Tobacco will cut prices, sweeten portions and do whatever is necessary to woo smokers to a tobacco product it can control. Swedish products will go up in price as the dollar declines. Internet taxes for purchases are looming. And a really lousy 2008 remains, according to Ben Bernanke today.

Put it all together and see if you don't see a growing share of future snusers using American products (or Swedish products sold under American brand names). Cost will be less. Availability will be wide. That's what's happening with these new introductions. It's not about "taste". Just follow the money.

[Shrewd]

RealmOfOpeth:
I would love to have a copy of that excel spreadsheet, I'm nerd enough to put together my own, but with two kids I haven't had the time (did occur to me though ).

Speaking of which, I think tonight is another snus ordering night (fun!) I've had to hold back all week while I worked through my supplies. I now have 1/3 can of skruf tranbar, 1 general, 2 mini cans so I think that's low enough that I can go get more .