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12
TOBACCO OUTLET BUSINESS
JULY/AUGUST 2012
NEWS & TRENDS
Highlights
Stokkebye Joins
Phillips & King
Phillips & King is
excited to announce
the
addition
of
Erik M. Stokkebye
to the company’s
team as of July 1,
2012.
Stokkebye
inherited his passion
for tobacco from his father, Peter,
and brings 30-plus years of industry
experience, primarily in the pipe and
pipe tobacco industry. Stokkebye is
a fourth generation tobacconist out
of the Stokkebye tobacco dynasty in
Denmark, which was started in 1882
by his great grandfather Erik Peter
Stokkebye.
“I’m excited about starting with the
P&K team and look forward to working
with themon strengthening the position
on existing brands and developing new
strong products in the tobacco field,”
says Stokkebye, who is married to Eva
Stokkebye and has two grown children,
Anna and Max.
Snus Smokers Club Formed
Adult tobacco consumers are invited to sign up
for the exclusive General’s Club.
The smokeless tobacco brand
General
Snus
launched
a
members-only General’s Club on
June 18. Membership benefits
of the online club include weekly
offerings on luxury goods and
experiences at members-only
prices, access to exciting VIP
events, and additional exclusive
perks that will be announced
in the coming weeks. “This is a
great opportunity for us to engage
with our consumers and provide
members unique goods and
experiences that are consistent
with the General brand’s values
of quality and authenticity,” says
Clark Darrah, vice president for
Next Generation Products.
Tofindoutmore or join, visit www.
generalsnus.com; new members
will receive a complimentary
membership kit.
Timber Wolf Sweepstakes
Timber Wolf is running a “Welcome
To Owensboro” Sweepstakes to
honor its hometown of Owensboro,
Kentucky. U.S. residents can enter
by visiting the website www.
Timberwolfsnuff.com, where they
will be able to select the virtual
map of Owensboro and claim
a plot of land—each plot offers
a chance to win the grand prize
of $100,000. When entrants pick
a plot or read a story about the
community’s rich history they may
also become instant winners of
$25. “Our latest sweepstakes is a
way for consumers to learn about
a community we are proud to be a
part of,” explains Brand Manager
Chris Lemmon, who says the
contest runs through December
17, 2012. www.SwedishMatch.com
Illinois Examines Excise Tax Hike
The state’s legislature is reportedly working behind closed doors on tobacco tax increases.
The Illinois State Legislature is
presently working on a variety
of tobacco excise tax increases,
reports the IPCPR. As part of those
private discussions, the legislature
is considering increasing the Other
Tobacco Products (OTP) excise tax
(levied on premium cigars and pipe
tobacco) from its current rate of 18
percent to 36 percent, a 100 percent
increase. The legislature is not
publishing any information on this
and no bill number has been assigned
at this time, reports the IPCPR.
The IPCPR has initiated a Legislative
Action Alert for all Illinois retail
tobacconists and their customers to
contact their state representatives
urging them to oppose any tobacco
tax increases. Visit IPCPR.org for more
details.