18
TOBACCO BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL
JULY/AUGUST 2014
NEWS & TRENDS
JULY/AUGUST 2014
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Mistic Now an Indy 500 Sponsor
The e-cigarette company is making its debut as a co-primary sponsor.
Mistic, maker of value-priced elec-
tronic cigarettes and vapor products,
is making its Indianapolis 500 debut
as a co-primary sponsor of KVSH
Racing’s No. 11 car piloted by four-
time Series Champion Sebastien
Bourdais.
Qualifying in 17th position for the
98th running of the 200-lap race
on May 25 with a four-lap average
speed of 229.847 mph, Bourdais will
be making his fourth appearance at
the Indy 500, an event billed as the
“greatest spectacle in racing.”
The 35-year-old Frenchman re-
cently put on his strongest perfor-
mance of the 2014 Verizon IndyCar
Series season, finishing fourth in the
inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis
on the newly designed 2.439-mile,
14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speed-
way road course. Mistic is serving as
the co-primary sponsor of the No. 11
car for both the 2014 and 2015 Indy-
Car Series seasons.
“We’re thrilled to be part of this
historical racing event and continue
to root for Sebastien and his talented
team as they attempt to make history
during one of the most celebrated
race events in the world,” says John
Wiesehan, Jr., CEO of Mistic. “We’re
also excited to announce the winners
of our Dream Weekend Giveaway, all
of whom are super excited to be part
of the big race, and their stories on
why they made the switch to Mistic
are truly inspiring.”
Winners of the Big Race Dream
Weekend Giveaway are: Glenda
Eades of Indianapolis, Indiana; Pa-
tricia Basset of Clarksville, Tennes-
see; and Larry Dixon of Lakewood,
California. Each of the three win-
ners and their guests received a VIP
package courtesy of Mistic Elec-
tronic Cigarettes for the big race
weekend in Indianapolis on May 24
and 25, 2014.
“This is an exciting day for E-Lites—and
an important one for the fast growing e-
cigarette sector,” says Charles Hamshaw-
Thomas, director of legal and corporate
affairs for E-Lites, announcing Japan To-
bacco International’s acquisition of E-Lites.
“It is the next stage of our success story.
Over the last five years E-Lites has grown
from a startup to becoming a top brand.
Our expansion will now accelerate as we
combine with the financial resources and
international distribution capabilities of
one of the world’s biggest tobacco compa-
nies.” He went on to outline what the two
companies hope to achieve as follows:
• Japan Tobacco International (JTI)
brings the E-Lites brand immediate access
to almost 60,000 outlets across the UK
where JTI’s cigarette brands are sold. On
top of that E-Lites can now reach overseas
markets through JTI’s global sales and dis-
tribution network. JTI’s products are sold
in 120 countries in Europe—including Rus-
sia, Asia and the rest of the world. Our ob-
jective is to see E-Lites become one of the
world’s leading international e-cigarette
brands.
• E-Lites will also now be able to draw
on JTI’s immense scientific and R&D ca-
pabilities. JTI has a deep commitment to
product quality and a vision for innovative
nicotine delivery products. This makes
them the ideal partner for E-Lites in remain-
ing at the forefront of e-cigarette research
and technology, and developing the next
generation of e-cigarette products. Ac-
cess to this depth of scientific and finan-
cial resource is critical to meeting antici-
pated regulatory requirements in Europe,
the U.S. and elsewhere. To comply with
heavy-duty regulation requires heavy-duty
scientific and financial resources.
Japan Tobacco Acquires E-Lites
Two companies will join forces to expand the brand’s reach.
