Philip Morris International (PMI) has announced the launch of IQOS ILUMA PRIME in the Swiss duty free market, the latest addition to its portfolio of smoke-free products for adults who would otherwise continue to smoke or use nicotine products.
The smoke-free device is now on sale at Geneva Airport (with Lagardère Travel Retail store brand Aelia Duty Free) and Zürich Airport (with Dufry-managed Zürich Duty Free).
The move into the European travel retail market follows the initial market launch of IQOS ILUMA in Japanese airport duty free on 2 September last year, as exclusively revealed by The Moodie Davitt Report.
The new IQOS ILUMA is the brand’s first tobacco heating system to introduce induction-heating technology, which uses no blade and requires no cleaning.
PMI Duty Free Vice President Edvinas Katilius said: “The launch of the IQOS ILUMA PRIME, our most refined and advanced device yet, in Switzerland duty free, further demonstrates our constant commitment to delight our legal age consumers in travel retail with our most premium and stylish product range.”
He added: “We have extended our product offering in Switzerland Duty Free with IQOS ILUMA PRIME – available in a choice of four new colours and with our largest ever range of accessories.”
IQOS ILUMA devices use heating technology known as Smartcore Induction System that heats the tobacco from within the new Terea Smartcore Stick. These newly-designed sticks are to be used only with IQOS ILUMA, which features an auto-start function that detects when the Terea stick is inserted and automatically turns on the device.
According to PMI, these bladeless devices offer a cleaner way to heat tobacco from the core, without burning it, to provide a more consistent experience, no tobacco residue, and no need to clean the device.
Additionally, they generate no combustion and no smoke, and PMI said its market research indicates that IQOS ILUMA provides a more pleasurable experience compared to previous IQOS generations.
As of June last year, PMI’s smoke-free products were available in 67 markets. The company has stated its ambition to be present in 100 markets with its smoke-free products by 2025.
There are currently more than 20 million users of the IQOS tobacco heating system globally, and PMI estimates that more than 73% (approximately 14.7 million) of these men and women have switched completely to IQOS and stopped smoking with the balance in various stages of switching.
PMI’s overarching ambition is that by 2025 at least 40 million PMI cigarette smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke will have switched to smoke-free products. Furthermore, the company’s ambition is that more than half of its net revenues will come from smoke-free products by 2025.
