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TOBACCO BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL
MARCH/APRIL 2016
T
hey say that “if you can’t beat
’em, join ’em,” and in the vape
shop realm, that’s partly how
Clawson, Michigan-based Wild
Bill’s Tobacco decided to tackle the
competition—with its Mr. Vapor
subsidiary concept, launched in 2014.
“We didn’t wait too long. We
opened up two vape stores in 2014
when we saw the trend, and they
took about six months to ramp up,”
Justin Samona, director of operations
for Wild Bill’s, now with 62
tobacco stores, tells
Tobacco Business
International
(
TBI
). “Then we got
a little scared when the deeming
[regulations] came out in April, so
we held off [on] expanding further.
But about a year later, once we felt
more confident that vaping wasn’t
going to be banned, but would more
likely be regulated, we decided to
expand to the 11 Mr. Vapor stores
we have now.” (There are presently
10 Mr. Vapor stores in Michigan and
one in Chula Vista, California.)
Mr. Vapor by Section
But that’s not to say that Wild
Bill’s Tobacco has forsaken vapes
in its tobacco stores—quite the
contrary.The chain’s first approach to
tackling the vape shop competition
is through its Mr. Vapor areas—12-
to-16-foot sections merchandised
next to cigarettes, featuring authentic
hardware
and
American-made
e-liquids. “We have partnered with
some of the best boutique [e-juice]
brands to have their product sold
exclusively at Wild Bill’s, giving us
a great competitive advantage,” says
Samona.
What’s more, the tobacco chain
has placed what it calls e-cig/vapor
“specialists” into Wild Bill’s stores;
in other words, there is a dedicated
vape expert assigned to the Mr.
Vapor section of each and every one
of its tobacco stores. “They order the
product and educate our tobacco
customers who want to switch to
vapor,” Samona explains. He likens
Swinging Both
Ways With Vapor
Can you be an
established tobacco
outlet retailer offering
vapor products and run
a trendy vape shop chain
at the same time—in
some of the same towns?
Sister companies Wild
Bill’s Tobacco and Mr.
Vapor are proof that it
can be done.
By Renée Covino
electric
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