E-Cigarette Pioneers Holding Breath as Big Firms Invade: Retail
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For the past decade, small purveyors of electronic cigarettes have largely had the U.S. market to themselves. Now, with sales projected to double to $1 billion this year, e-cig brands with such names as Logic, Njoy and Vapor are waiting to exhale as giant tobacco companies begin to invade their turf.
In August, Altria Group Inc., the largest cigarette maker in the U.S., will start selling its new MarkTen e-cigs in an undisclosed Indiana market. Second-biggest Reynolds American Inc. plans a national rollout of its Vuse e-cigarette, beginning in Colorado next month. Lorillard Inc. has boosted distribution of its Blu eCigs to more than 80,000 stores since acquiring the brand last year for $135 million.