• March 29, 2024

Smokeless smoking in the US

The smokeless tobacco category provided another solid year for U.S. convenience stores in 2012, and all signs indicate that this year should remain just as strong, according to a story in Convenience Store Decisions (CSD).

According to the market research company SymphonyIRI, smokeless sales in U.S. convenience stores during the year 2012 totaled $4.82 billion, up 5.61 percent on sales during 2011.

Volume sales rose by 3.39 percent to 1.22 billion units.

The CSD story said that while smokeless tobacco should remain a solid category for the foreseeable future, additional government regulations and increased taxation could be introduced this year.

But, for the time being, smokeless is on the rise. “For 2013, I expect the smokeless tobacco category to continue to grow in the mid-single digits,” said Bonnie Herzog, managing director at Wells Fargo Securities.