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deadline, even in a limited number of stores, and the
move is already paying off. That happy outcome is only
likely to intensify as the vapor market goes through the
post-deeming-regulation consolidation that experts are
predicting. VMR is one of the largest players in the
market and is also one of the few that plays in multi-
ple segments. The company sells directly to consum-
ers online, as well as across a broad spectrum of retail
channels, and it has a wide range of products suitable
for each market.
“Each market demands a different type of product,”
explains Verleur. “Some compete with one another and
others less so. For example, the c-store space doesn’t
compete with the vape shop space, but the vape shop
space competes with the Internet because $100-$200
fancy devices play well in an Internet environment
where you can learn about how they work, and they
also do well in a vape shop where there are experts on
hand to tell you about the various devices and show you
how they work.”
Like many in the industry, Verleur has seen con-
traction in the vape shop channel. Shops that relied
on making their own product, unable or unwilling to
navigate the FDA approval process, are shutting down.
However, he doesn’t see the channel going away alto-
gether, nor the vapor market overall declining. “The
breadth of product will be reduced; stores will be lim-
ited to selling product from reputable companies that
have gone through the regulatory process,” he predicts.
“That will lead to less product offerings…for a compa-
ny like VMR that is a magical thing because we are
designing products that are perfect for that space. So
we are looking forward to gaining market share.”
TB
WHAT’S NEW
FOR
VMR
IN VAPOR
Inspired in part by a bad e-cigarette experience,
Jan Verleur launched VMR in 2010 as a technology
company aiming to engineer a better vaping product
than the makeshift devices dominating the market
at the time. “We have always been an R&D-based
company,” he recounts. “Having 40 engineers in the
company has given us the opportunity to develop
technology and build a substantial patent portfolio.”
Many of the new technologies VMR is bringing to
market in 2017 are cartridge and accessory innova-
tions for its S3 and S7 devices. “We built our V2Pro
Series 3 as a cartridge-based product platform. So
now we are launching a slew of new accessories
for that product, including a ceramic P&G card that
literally makes about three times the amount of va-
por as prior cartridges and lasts for up to 40 fills,”
explains Verleur. “We have 11 different cartridges
launching for our S3 and S7 devices.”
While details on all the new launches are not
public yet, Verleur says to expect cartridges with
interchangeable coils allowing modifiable air flow
support for citric juice and PG/VG support.