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TOBACCO BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
NEWS & TRENDS
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015
Highlights
Kretek International has named Jay
Kloepfer as central region sales di-
rector. Kloepfer joins Kretek from
Tantus Tobacco, succeeding newly
promoted Kretek National Director of
Field Sales Steve Lucas in the region-
al manager position. He will be re-
sponsible for business development
and retail growth of Kretek brands
from the Canadian border to Texas
and Oklahoma, working with Kretek
distributors and broker networks in
that region.
“Kretek’s ongoing growth in new
retail sectors of tobacco and e-vapor
products, as well as ventures in wine
and general merchandise categories
will be enhanced by Jay’s experi-
ence and team leadership,” says Lu-
cas. Kloepfer will oversee the efforts
of a recently expanded team of key
account managers, along with the
coordinated efforts of CROSSMARK
and JMK sales brokerages for Kretek,
which is the exclusive importer
and marketer of Djarum and Cuban
Rounds Cigar brands, Voodoo and
EZ-Cig e-vapor products, DjEEP light-
ers, Nuvino Wines and VirMax per-
formance products.
Kretek Names Central
Region Sales Director
TPC 2015
Breaking Records
By December, registration for the
January 28-29 show had already
surpassed prior years’.
Tobacco retailers and suppliers
are registering in record numbers
for the 2015 Tobacco Plus
Convenience Expo. The annual
event will kick off on January
27 with an opening reception at
the Westgate Las Vegas Resort
& Casino. The trade show, which
will be held at the South Hall of
the Las Vegas Convention Center,
will be open the following two
days.
Participants from more than 50
countries are slated to attend the
event to meet with manufacturers,
wholesalers and distributors, and
to browse the show floor. Both
days of the show will feature
roundtable discussions. For more
on the Tobacco Plus Convenience
Expo, see our show preview story
on page 62.
Gov. Inslee is seeking a statewide tax on
electronic cigarettes and vapor products.
The tax is expected to be significant be-
cause Washington has one of the higher
tobacco taxes. Inslee is looking for ways
to make some money for his state while
getting credit for protecting the public’s
health. However, many addiction and to-
bacco experts argue that access to elec-
tronic cigarettes and vapor products is
actually a boon for public health.
Washington is not be the first state
to push for a tax on vapor products.
Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, New Jer-
sey, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island,
South Carolina and Vermont have all
considered or are considering such a
tax. Meanwhile, New York, Michigan,
Ohio and North Carolina have enacted
some type of tax aimed at electronic
cigarettes, vapor products or the nico-
tine sold for their use.
Washington Seeks E-Cig Tax
Washington Governor Jay Inslee pushes for a statewide
tax on vapor products.
Shareholder Vote
for Reynolds & Lorillard
Reynolds American and Lorillard will hold a shareholder vote on the proposed
$27.4-billion merger between the two companies on Jan. 28. A closing date for
the merger is expected in the first half of 2015 after the Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) conducts its antitrust review. In August, the FTC requested further informa-
tion on the merger and the planned divestiture of several brands to Imperial To-
bacco Group plc.