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TOBACCO BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL
MAY/JUNE 2015
a sought-after brand—I don’t [even]
have to mention it. It’s grown over
the years…it is an exceptional line of
cigars.”
Raffle-dazzle
them—
It’s
not
uncommon in the cigar business
to invite a vendor in, roll an event
around it and offer customers a buy
three cigars, get one free promotion
or something similar. “But ‘free’ really
doesn’t do well for our cigar business,”
Kommer believes. He got the idea from
one boutique vendor to raffle away a
flat-screen television as the event hook
instead of offering free cigars, and it did
“extremely well,” according to Kommer.
Now he is sold on the raffle idea above
any other promotion. Be it a TV, an
iPad or a Bose stereo system, Kommer
promotes the raffle event: “For every so
many cigars purchased, the customer
gets a raffle ticket for the hot item.
The two or three boxes of cigars that
the vendor gives us at the event we are
now able to sell, and it covers the cost
of the raffled product I buy,” Kommer
explains. “It’s a win-win for all involved
and it drums up more excitement than
anything we have done previously.”
Make it a true event—
What’s
more, the cigar events that James and
Sons Tobacconists organizes are “true
events” as Kommer sees them, with
live music, local entertainment and
bourbon or scotch tastings sponsored
by a local liquor store. Instead of closing
at 10 p.m. the store typically stays open
until midnight or 1 a.m. on an event
night. “Customers absolutely love these
nights and can’t wait for the next event
since we added music,” he says.
Let there be lounge choice—
Cigar customers come to cigar stores
expecting lounges and, often, club
membership benefits, but one size
doesn’t fit all in this department,
Kommer learned. That’s why James
and Sons offers large public and
private seating areas as well as various
levels of memberships, which feature
discounts, private lounge access and
private humidor lockers. The private
back lounge features large leather
armchairs, wooden end tables, an old
brick fireplace, large flat-panel TVs
with Bose surround sound and a DVD
player. The exclusive Black Diamond
Club is the latest lounge addition,
located upstairs from the James and
Sons main store. This is where the
Cuban Lounge and English Lounge
are found, which offer a “proximity
card,” meaning members have 24/7
access.
Love your locals—
James and Sons
Tobacconists is not only family-run, it’s
community-focused, always looking
for new and fun ways to give back to
its community. “We’re very blessed
with our business. We struggled for
a while in the down economy, but
our customers stood by us and we
certainly want to give back to them,”
says Kommer. In addition to throwing
customers/members a big holiday
party, the cigar retailer put together a
special cigar-tasting night certificate
that is available to local charities to
include in their charity auctions, raffles
and giveaways. The recipient of the
certificate is entitled to the following:
• One cigar per person in the party
(up to eight people);
• Access to the Private Members
Lounge
which
includes
the
aforementioned secluded back room
with large leather chairs, two flat-
screen televisions, a DVD player and
library, wireless Internet, wireless
printer, and a fax machine;
• One-on-one cigar expertise from a
store employee who will walk the party
through the tasting.
Regarding giving back to the
community, Kommer adds that “We’re
always trying to upgrade and come
up with something else to involve the
community. It really works…people
take notice of this.”
TBI
“We’re very blessed
with our business. We struggled
for a while in the down economy, but
our customers stood by us and we
certainly want to give back to them.”