Tobacco Business

[ 78 ] TOBACCO BUSINESS [ MAY / JUNE | 21 ] The Latest Innovations Supporting the retailers that carry S.T. Dupont is a top priority for everyone at Coles of London. Whether it’s a question about a product, a repair issue or an order that needs to be placed, Cole and his team promise to provide a quick response and top-notch customer service. Coles of London also understands the importance of educating its retail partners on the products so that they are able to better sell them and market them to consumers within their store. Whenever there’s a new product launch or news about S.T. Dupont, Coles of London is quick to push out that information to the industry through email communications. Coles of London also provides its customers with helpful assets, including product photography and videos, all of which is done in-house. Once COVID-19 conditions reach a point where it is safe to travel, Coles of London’s team plans to do more in-store visits. The company is easing back into the in-person sales mode with some planned appearances at industry trade shows, including this year’s Tobacco Plus Expo in Las Vegas. Once the company’s sales team is able to travel, Cole plans to do more events with retailers, including trunk shows. There’s also the possibility of doing some co-branded products with retail partners, which will help get S.T. Dupont’s products into the hands of more people. In the meantime, it is promoting S.T. Dupont through social media and strategic partnerships. Recently, Coles of London reached out to football quarterback Cam Newton, who owns and operates a cigar lounge in Atlanta called Fellaship. Newton has been filming a series of shows where he sits down with guests and interviews them while smoking cigars. Coles of London supplied Newton with a number of exclusive S.T. Dupont products to use during his shows. Cole hopes that working with high-profile individuals like Newton will help bring some attention to S.T. Dupont’s various products and also help build the brand’s overall profile and appeal to the masses, as well as the company’s continued innovation. As one of the world's leading global luxury cigar accessory brands, S.T. Dupont prides itself on crafting lighters that are at the forefront of technology. Cole is counting on S.T. Dupont’s continued pursuit of luxury and innovation to help build the brand’s profile in America. After the success of S.T. Dupont S.T. Dupont continues to innovate and push the boundaries of the luxury lighter category with the release of the Slim 7 Space, Hooked and Defi XXtreme collections, as well as more that are on the way from the French luxury brand this year. Not only is S.T. Dupont the only luxury cigar accessory brand in the world; it also prides itself on being the most innovative lighter brand in the world. —Mark Cole