16 TOBACCO BUSINESS | MARCH / APRIL | 22 Maybe it’s a Southern thing, but most in- person visits typically end with, “Call me when you’ve made it home” or some deviation of that phrase. Sometimes, of course, that call turns into a text, but the sentiment is all the same. In the South, we’re very concerned about whether the person we care about makes it from one destination to the next. Just going next door? Doesn’t matter— call because who knows what dangers lurk between one doorstep and another. Going to travel across the country and won’t make it to where you’re going until the early morning hours? Doesn’t matter—there better be a voicemail or a text saying you made it to your destination. Southerners are very concerned about where you came from and where you’re going, and as old-fashioned and dated as that may seem, it’s probably the missing ingredient in business today. We’re all busy, and each of us has a list of things we have to get done each day, week, month and year. Because of the busy nature of our lives, we have to pick and choose what we accomplish and do. Some of the most routine things—like being concerned with whether or not that account, that employee or that business partner made it to their “destination” or not—simply land on the cutting room floor. We’re becoming so busy and preoccupied with making bank or hitting that sales target that we’re forgetting something very important: the relationships that make or can end up breaking a business. I’m fascinated by the relationship between manufacturers and retailers in the tobacco industry. While we’re bombarded by news about companies hitting their sales target and making record sales—as well as articles about products being recognized by different media outlets and receiving awards—there’s something we’re not hearing a lot about, which is how retailers are becoming an afterthought in the tobacco business. In my conversations with retailers over the past year, I’ve heard far too many retailers complain that they can’t get in touch with a sales rep. They comment on a lack of communication from companies outside of a request to pay an invoice, and they’re feeling left to fend for themselves without the proper support from the industry they’ve chosen to work in and support with their business. I’ve said this before, but retailers are the unrecognized superheroes in this business. Without them, I’m not sure any brand could achieve or maintain any long-term success. After leaving the 2022 Tobacco Plus Expo trade show in January, it was clear that Tobacco Business needed to put a bit more emphasis on retailers. We wanted success stories that would inspire retailers of all sizes, so we reached out to the team behind the popular Blend Bar with Davidoff Cigars to ask them how they’ve managed to build their retail empire. We also have a panel of retailers that were recently recognized by the company as being among their best Davidoff Appointed Merchants to have them talk about what they’ve done to achieve such high praise and recognition from one of the industry’s leading manufacturers. To offer some new perspectives, we also assembled a panel of tobacconists from different parts of the U.S. to share their best practices and tips to help other brick-and-mortar retailers. Again, retailers are the frontline workers, serving as ambassadors between manufacturers and consumers. If they fail, the entire industry fails. After reading this issue, pick up the phone and check in on your local retailer. Ask if they’re OK and what you and your company can do to help them reach their desired destination. The aim of this issue is to give a glimpse of what it’s like to be a tobacconist today. There are plenty of good things happening, but there are some areas of concern that, as an industry, we can all work on improving. Let’s make sure we don’t forget that relationships, not products, are at the heart of what makes the tobacco industry thrive. TB M ED I TOR ’ S LETTER VOL25 NO2 MARCH / APRIL 2022 PRESIDENT Jason Carignan MANAGING DIRECTOR Ben Stimpson SENIOR EDITOR AND DIGITAL DIRECTOR Antoine D. Reid ART DIRECTOR Harrison Brackett COPY EDITOR Stephanie Banfield CONTRIBUTORS Storm Boen, Harrison Brackett, Thomas Briant, David Ozgo, Matt Zehner TOBACCO PLUS EXPO TRADE SHOW DIRECTOR Ellie Hansen TMG SALES MANAGER Dawn Conger DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER Brian Rodak TRADE SHOW OPERATIONS & LOGISTICS MANAGER Scott Gibson SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Rachel Esteffe TMG SALES ASSOCIATE Carly Gegorek TOBACCO BUSINESS MAGAZINE 5449 Endeavour Ct #1712, Moorpark, CA 93021 A DIVISION OF KRETEK INTERNATIONAL, INC. CHAIRMAN Hugh Cassar PRESIDENT AND CEO Sean Cassar CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Don Gormly Tobacco Business is published bimonthly at 5449 Endeavour Ct #1712, Moorpark, CA 93021. Printed in USA. Copyright 2022 by TBI, LLC. Subscription rate is $45.00/year. Send paid subscriptions to Tobacco Business at same address as mentioned above. For reprint information, contact Ben Stimpson at 919.412.7380. Copying: Permission is granted with users of the Copyright Clearance Center Inc. To photocopy any ar ticle, with the exception of those for which separate copyright ownership is indicated on the first page of the article, provide a base fee of $1.25/copy. Tobacco Business International is a registered trademark of TBI, LLC. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Tobacco Business, 5449 Endeavour Ct #1712, Moorpark, CA 93021. LETME KNOWYOUMADE IT THE TEAM Antoine D. Reid, Senior Editor, antoinereid@tobaccobusiness.com TOBACCOBUSINESS.COM TOBACCO BUSINESS
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