Tobacco Business

[ 78 ] TOBACCO BUSINESS [ JULY / AUGUST | 21 ] to both adapt very quickly in terms of manpower and in regard to financial resources. For their retail store, they have a very similar approach to product selection. They go after only what they consider to be the best of the best products and put every brand and facing they sell through the same extreme scrutiny they put their subscription box cigars through. The cigars that they sell are only those that they themselves enjoy. “Our philosophy has been very simple: We offer only what we personally love. Our customers know that we work very hard to not cut corners in our search for great cigars. While not all the cigars we send might be for every palate, they are all of the best quality and give our customers an opportunity to try something they might otherwise not have.” For both their brick-and-mortar and their online customers, Doyle and Rotem apply the same formula: It all comes down to providing great value for their customers. That is accomplished through offering their customers great value for money, excellent customer service and, most importantly, consistency. Another focus for these tobacconists is building a community to sustain their business. Luxury Cigar Club is more than just a monthly subscription service—it’s designed to be a social club with a strong emphasis on community. “We provide platforms for the members to socialize and communicate through, as well as organize live online events and in-person events,” Rotem explains. The team spends as much time on the social side of the business as they do on finding the right cigars. Social media plays a key role in enabling the duo to build and maintain relationships with customers, manufacturers and other vendors. Doyle and Rotem constantly share and communicate with their followers online and the stronger the relationships that are forged, the more growth that’s experienced. Providing exceptional customer service and responding quickly to all requests and inquiries are some additional ways Luxury Cigar Club serves its community and keeps its members happy. A Fearless Approach A lot has happened in the past two years since Luxury Cigar Club shipped out its first box. In a short time, the club has grown in membership numbers, and customers have become more like a family. Following this year’s Tobacco Plus Expo (TPE) trade show, 50 of Luxury Cigar Club’s members all gathered in Las Vegas to smoke and socialize with one another. Seeing and interacting with the community that they’ve built in person was an eye-opening experience for Doyle and Rotem. Having won Tobacconist of the Year in this year’s Tobacco Business Awards, they both view the win as a sign that the business they’ve created has found its place within the industry and helped fulfill a need that many cigar consumers were looking for. “We are extremely humbled to be named Tobacconist of the Year,” says Rotem. “It has been an absolute unexpected honor to have us ‘new kids’ be recognized by the industry and stand on the same stage as the industry’s greatest. To us, it means we have made a positive impact on our members and followers, and that has been our goal from day one as tobacconists.” Both Doyle and Rotem have very simple advice for other tobacconists looking to achieve great things: love what you do. “When you are really passionate about tobacco, knowledge comes very easily and allows you to be a good guide to others who are making their way through the constantly growing number of cigars,” says Rotem. Doyle and Rotem were not put off after finding out that their idea for a cigar subscription box service was far from original. Instead, they decided to approach their idea as a challenge: Do it, but do it differently and better. Luxury Cigar Club and its recent win of Tobacconist of the Year demonstrates that tobacco retail is changing and retailers looking for success need to be ready to adapt in order to keep up with the changing demands and wants of their customers. Even when faced with the challenges introduced by the pandemic, this duo of tobacconists chose to charge forward and continue to build their business and the community within it. If there’s one lesson to take away from these winning tobacconists, it’s this: Don’t be afraid to fail. TB Luxury Cigar Club founders Chris Doyle and Ben Rotem