Imperial Tobacco will return to the IAADFS Duty Free Show of the Americas this year with an expanded range of cigars (stand number: 713), underlining its commitment to offering a complete portfolio of tobacco products to travel retail buyers.
A highlight of the portfolio is VegaFina Cigars, entirely handmade using traditional methods at the Tabacalera de Garcia cigar factory in La Romana, Dominican Republic.
VegaFina Cigars come in two variants:
• VegaFina Classic – High quality and smooth-flavoured cigars handmade in the Dominican Republic, with a modern design and premium image.
• VegaFina Fortaleza 2 – Described as intense yet refined, these medium-bodied cigars are said to offer nuances of wood and herbs with a slight note of pepper, creating a smooth and balanced flavour.
The portfolio also includes Backwoods, made in the Dominican Republic and claimed as the world’s top selling 100% all-natural tobacco cigar brand. Its distinctive structure and look – with a frayed, unfinished end and tapered body – made Backwoods popular with smokers who identified with the “˜America’s wild west’ cowboy image, according to Imperial Tobacco.
Originally trademarked in 1902, Hav-A-Tampa Jewels Birchwood-tipped cigars bring a variety of flavours to Imperial’s travel retail cigar selection. These include Original, the classic Jewels variant; Black Gold, which is said to deliver a bolder profile; Red, with what is described as a sweet and pleasing aroma; and Vanilla.
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(Left, top) VegaFina Fortaleza 2 offers nuances of wood and herbs with a slight note of pepper; (Right) Hav-A-Tampa Jewels in Black Gold is said to deliver a bolder profile | |
Lastly, Phillies offers an extensive selection of fine cigars for the value-conscious smoker, from the rich, full-bodied Titan to the smooth and flavourful Blunt and Cigarillos. “The perfect size, shape and blend to satisfy all consumer preferences, Phillies is an ideal addition to the travel retail cigar assortment,” the company said.
“Imperial Tobacco’s cigar division has performed well over the past 12 months and we continue to see very good growth opportunities within travel retail globally, especially in US duty free,” noted Imperial Tobacco Category Development Manager Global Duty Free Cigars, Smokeless & OTP Nils Fehren.
“We are achieving this by reacting quickly and with flexibility to consumer demands and trends with the right offer and portfolio strategy.”
For trade enquiries, contact Dr. Jennifer Thanscheidt, Corporate Affairs Global Duty Free; tel: +49 40 8220-2945; or e-mail: Jennifer.Thanscheidt@reemtsma.de.
