Business briefing
The business briefing section offers news and updates from around the vapour industry. It focus mainly on companies and brands, global business, technology advancements and more. In addition, our news stories cover individual company updates, including everything from investment news and legal battles to sales revenue changes. It also covers technological and medical innovations taking place around the world.
Study finds smokers who switch to vaping ‘avoid cardiovascular risks’
Written by Marc Beishon || 21st November 2019 || Business briefing |
Amid all the alarm about vaping, a new study has found that smokers, particularly women, showed significant improvement in vascular health within a month of switching to e-cigarettes ...
Half of Welsh smokers who try to quit use e-cigarettes, survey reveals
Written by ECigIntelligence || 20th November 2019 || Business briefing |
The 2018-19 National Survey for Wales on adult smoking and e-cigarette use shows that e-cigarettes are the most popular tool among Welsh adults to help them in quitting smoking ...
Chinese court to hear first case for misleading e-cigarette branding
Written by ECigIntelligence || 18th November 2019 || Business briefing , Marketing & retailing |
Chinese e-cigarette companies have been caught in the country’s first civil court case for allegedly claiming that their vaping products pose no or little harm to people’s health ...
Juul halts sale of mint pods ahead of new FDA guidance on flavours
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 8th November 2019 || Business briefing , Marketing & retailing |
E-cigarette manufacturer Juul Labs is halting sales of its mint flavour after the publication of a survey by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that shows an increase in the use of e-cigarettes among high school...
Major Korean c-store chains take flavoured e-cigs off the shelves
Written by ECigIntelligence || 7th November 2019 || Business briefing , Marketing & retailing |
Four major convenience store chains in South Korea are to suspend sales of some flavoured e-cigarettes after the government announced it is carrying out an assessment of possible health effects ...
Lung illness and the reaction to it are hitting US vaping retail sector hard
Written by ECigIntelligence || 5th November 2019 || Business briefing , Marketing & retailing |
The outbreak of vape-related lung illness across the US is having a damaging effect on e-cig retail, from small vape stores hit by plummeting receipts to big store chains emptying their shelves of vapour products ...
German vapers warned about dangers of DIY and unregulated liquids
Written by ECigIntelligence || 4th November 2019 || Business briefing |
Germany’s leading authority on the safety of food and chemical products has issued a warning against do-it-yourself mixing of e-liquids and urged vapers to stick to legally regulated products ...
Altria’s smokeless portfolio performs well despite taking hit on Juul
Written by ECigIntelligence || 1st November 2019 || Business briefing |
Altria’s global net revenues rose 0.3% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2019 to $6.86bn, primarily due to higher net revenues in the smokeless products segment ...
JTI lowers its 2019 forecast as Japanese Ploom Tech sales fall
Written by ECigIntelligence || 31st October 2019 || Business briefing |
Falling sales of Japan Tobacco’s heated tobacco device Ploom Tech have hit the company’s total revenue from reduced risk products, which fell by JPY7.1bn ($65.7m) to JPY17.8bn ($164.6m) in Q3 2019 ...
Juul will ‘vigorously’ fight sacked executive’s claim that it knowingly sold ‘unsafe’ pods
Written by ECigIntelligence || 30th October 2019 || Business briefing |
Juul Labs has described as “baseless” a claim by a former executive of the company that it knowingly sent to market around a million contaminated e-cigarette pods ...
Italy suspends sales of Salt Life 1000 mg nic salt for safety testing
Written by ECigIntelligence || 29th October 2019 || Business briefing , Marketing & retailing |
The Italian Ministry of Health has banned sales of a nicotine salt product from Milan-based company Blendfeel while tests are carried out to ascertain its safety for consumers ...
FDA orders Eonsmoke to remove nearly 100 products from US market
Written by ECigIntelligence || 25th October 2019 || Business briefing , Marketing & retailing |
New Jersey e-liquid manufacturer Eonsmoke has been ordered by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to remove from the market 96 products that do not have a marketing authorisation order ...
Most US smokers ‘favour lower nicotine levels in combustibles’
Written by ECigIntelligence || 25th October 2019 || Business briefing |
More than four out of five adult smokers in the US favour requiring tobacco companies to lower the levels of nicotine in cigarettes to make them less addictive, researchers have found ...
Experts call for better scientific practices in e-cigarette research
Written by ECigIntelligence || 22nd October 2019 || Business briefing |
Two UK professors of psychology have called for e-cigarette research to adopt "open science" practices to improve the standard of research and to prevent bias ...
PMI chief Calantzopoulos talks up ‘exciting global growth’ of HnB
Written by ECigIntelligence || 17th October 2019 || Business briefing |
Philip Morris International (PMI) has posted an 84.8% year-on-year increase in heated tobacco shipments in the third quarter of 2019 to nearly 16bn units, while its shipments of conventional cigarettes went down by 5.9% ...
Researchers find possible flaw in argument for low-nicotine e-cigs
Written by ECigIntelligence || 15th October 2019 || Business briefing |
E-cigs that don’t deliver enough nicotine may do more harm than good by encouraging the use of tobacco, according to a new US study. We report on this and other research into vaping prevalence and behaviour ...
Reynolds American files 150,000-page PMTA submission for Vuse
Written by ECigIntelligence || 15th October 2019 || Business briefing |
Reynolds American has submitted a premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for authorisation to continue marketing Vuse e-cigarettes in the US ...
Study suggests US teachers need to be more alert to use of Juul in school
Written by ECigIntelligence || 10th October 2019 || Business briefing |
The use of Juul and other e-cigarettes has risen to “epidemic levels” among students in the US, yet there is a lack of awareness and response within schools, according to a new survey ...
Science clears conventional vaping of blame for lung disease horrors
Written by ECigIntelligence || 9th October 2019 || Business briefing |
Respiratory effects of e-cigs have been a concern since their introduction, but there is a consistent lack of evidence for any substantial harm – and despite perceptions, the current US lung illness outbreak doesn’t change that ...
Fears sparked by US lung disease outbreak will hit vaping worldwide
Written by Barnaby Page || 8th October 2019 || Business briefing |
The recent outbreak of lung disease linked to vaping in the US will seriously inhibit growth in the world’s e-cigarette industry over the coming year, ECigIntelligence analysis predicts ...
‘Will it hurt me if it’s addictive?’ Investigating perceptions of vaping
Written by Lydia Thompson || 7th October 2019 || Business briefing |
How much do consumers in different countries really know about e-cigarettes – and what are public attitudes to vaping? A number of researchers have set out to find answers to these and related questions ...
CDC and FDA shift emphasis to THC, but public still believes nicotine more dangerous
Written by Lorraine Mullaney || 4th October 2019 || Business briefing |
The American public believes nicotine e-cigarettes to be more dangerous than THC vaping, even as official statements on the recent outbreak of lung disease start to emphasise the role of cannabis and play down the involvement of nicotine...
Imperial lowers growth forecast; CEO resignation causes uncertainty
Written by ECigIntelligence || 4th October 2019 || Business briefing |
Imperial Brands CEO Alison Cooper’s resignation is being seen as a catalyst – alongside challenging market conditions for tobacco, and regulatory changes in the US for next-generation products (NGP) – for uncertain times among Big Tobacco...
Juul withdraws support from bid to overturn San Francisco e-cig ban
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 3rd October 2019 || Business briefing |
After being the main financial backer of the campaign to overturn San Francisco’s vaping ban on November’s public ballot, Juul has changed its mind and decided to withdraw all support from the organising group ...
As PMTA deadline approaches, US industry fears the end may be nigh
Written by ECigIntelligence || 2nd October 2019 || Business briefing |
The US vapour industry is not happy with the FDA’s new guidelines for premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs), with some fearing there may soon be no small manufacturers left to regulate ...
US industry alarmed for the vaping future; lung cases rise to over 800
Written by ECigIntelligence || 27th September 2019 || Business briefing |
While the CDC has raised the number of suspected lung disease cases to 805, key industry figures admit that vaping in the US is at a crossroads – and the next steps could prove vital ...
Kevin Burns quits as Juul CEO amid global criticism of the company
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 25th September 2019 || Business briefing |
Kevin Burns has resigned as CEO of Juul Labs, to be replaced immediately by K.C. Crosthwaite, senior vice president and chief strategy and growth officer of tobacco giant Altria, which owns a 35% stake in Juul ...
Altria/PMI re-merger talks end without an agreement
Written by ECigIntelligence || 25th September 2019 || Business briefing |
Re-merger talks between tobacco giants Altria and Philip Morris International (PMI) have ended, with both companies citing difficulties in reaching a deal ...
US lung illness outbreak a watershed for the public perception of vaping
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 20th September 2019 || Business briefing |
Although in most of the cases THC or other illicit substances have almost certainly been involved, the US outbreak of vape-related lung illness is extremely damaging to the e-cig industry ...
Big Tobacco job cuts highlight growing pressure on combustibles business
Written by ECigIntelligence || 19th September 2019 || Business briefing |
A wave of workforce cuts by major companies such as British American Tobacco (BAT) and Japan Tobacco International (JTI) may be just the tip of the iceberg for Big Tobacco ...
Spanish campaign attacks smoking and e-cigs in one powerful blast
Written by ECigIntelligence || 19th September 2019 || Business briefing , Marketing & retailing |
A new anti-smoking campaign by the Spanish government takes on smoking, vaping, heated tobacco and hookahs under the motto “El tabaco ata y te mata” (“Tobacco ties and kills you”) ...
Research says flavours motivate vaping – and kids like fruit
Written by Lorraine Mullaney || 17th September 2019 || Business briefing |
In the midst of US president Donald Trump’s declared crackdown on flavoured e-cigarettes, new research finds flavours have a strong appeal to vapers and play a part in initiating e-cig use ...
‘Gateway’ fear as Germany’s second city reveals rise in teenage vaping
Written by ECigIntelligence || 16th September 2019 || Business briefing |
Figures released by the Hamburg city council show an increase in vaping by minors – and come with a warning by the researchers about the possibility of youth vaping leading on to smoking ...
Polish poll shows under-24s use e-cigs more often; smoking prevalence falls
Written by ECigIntelligence || 13th September 2019 || Business briefing |
A recent report released by Poland’s state-run Public Opinion Research Centre (CBOS) shows that vaping is gaining popularity in people up to 24 years...
Dubai vape show organisers fear effects of UAE’s 100% e-cig tax
Written by ECigIntelligence || 10th September 2019 || Business briefing |
Organisers of a major vape trade show to be held in Dubai next year fear the introduction of a “sin tax” on e-cigarettes in the United Arab Emirates will hit a market that was only legalised in April...
Five deaths in US lung outbreak; 450 cases now identified, says CDC
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 7th September 2019 || Business briefing |
The outbreak of lung illness apparently related to vaping has now claimed five lives and affected 450 people across the US, says the...
Giants reunited? What will PMI-Altria re-merger mean for the market?
Written by Barnaby Page || 5th September 2019 || Business briefing |
ECigIntelligence considers the effects the possible re-merger of Philip Morris International (PMI) and Altria might have on the combustible and alternatives markets in the US and beyond ...
Rise in passive vaping triggers further negative publicity for e-cigarettes
Written by Lorraine Mullaney || 4th September 2019 || Business briefing |
It has been reported that increasing numbers of US school students are being exposed to second-hand vapour from e-cigarettes, triggering negative publicity for the industry ...
$200bn PMI/Altria re-merger plan risks US regulatory retaliation
Written by ECigIntelligence || 28th August 2019 || Business briefing |
The potential $200bn re-merger of PMI and Altria may risk a tightening in regulation of the vaping industry in the US, amid increasing concerns over e-cigarette use by young people ...
Chinese e-cig imports into US rocket even as Trump’s tariffs war rages
Written by ECigIntelligence || 28th August 2019 || Business briefing |
While relations between the two countries are soured by Donald Trump’s tariffs announcements, e-cigarette imports into the US from China have increased dramatically ...
Totally Wicked finds shelf-space on the UK high street with WHSmith
Written by ECigIntelligence || 23rd August 2019 || Business briefing , Marketing & retailing |
Vaping products from Totally Wicked are now available from UK high street newspaper and stationery retailer WHSmith ...
Teen seizure reports: the mothers, the media and the uncertain facts
Written by ECigIntelligence || 22nd August 2019 || Business briefing |
Concerned mothers across the US, perhaps taking their lead from the news, blame vaping for seizures apparently suffered by their teenage children. The evidence, however, is far from clear ...
US lung disease outbreak: how far, if at all, is vaping really to blame?
Written by Barnaby Page || 22nd August 2019 || Business briefing |
News that an unexplained lung condition affecting more than 100 Americans is being linked to vaping could hardly have come at a worse time for the beleaguered e-cig sector ...
Health under the microscope: ECigIntelligence science news in brief
Written by Lydia Thompson || 21st August 2019 || Business briefing |
Smoking rates, toxic e-liquids, fears about DNA damage and weight gain, and a chemical warning over Juul flavours are assessed in ECigIntelligence’s round-up of the latest e-cig studies ...
Vaping under suspicion, but no proof in US lung disease outbreak
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 21st August 2019 || Business briefing |
Unproven but strongly suggested links between vaping and severe health problems in young people have been breaking out all over the US, raising conflicting fears and unanswered questions ...
BAT South Africa is given the go-ahead for merger with Twisp
Written by ECigIntelligence || 20th August 2019 || Business briefing |
South Africa’s Competition Tribunal has approved a merger between British American Tobacco South Africa (BATSA) and the country’s leading e-cigarette manufacturer, Twisp ...
BAT launches hybrid pod in Korea amid rumours of new tax scheme
Written by ECigIntelligence || 14th August 2019 || Business briefing , Marketing & retailing |
British American Tobacco (BAT) has launched Glo Sens in Korea, a new hybrid pod product which combines vaping technology with real...
Shop display stands for IQOS ‘don’t break Russian advertising law’
Written by ECigIntelligence || 8th August 2019 || Business briefing , Marketing & retailing |
The Russian Federal Anti-monopoly Service has rejected a complaint by the International Confederation of Consumer Societies that IQOS display stands in stores violated federal advertising rules ...