Swedish Match pushes into the US market this summer...two new varieties

[Lcarvone]

Link to the article HERE

If you don't have a subscription you may not get to see the full article (I saw a copy and don't have a subscription)...the initial new markets are Chicago, Dallas, and Philadelphia.

"The new Nordic Mint and Classic Blend varieties will sell at a slight premium to Camel Snus, the market leader in the U.S."

-article author david.kesmodel @ wsj.com

[c.nash]

Someone post the full article. I don't want to subscribe. Lol

[snusgetter]

Your link only goes to a 'Preview' of subscriber content

YET when I do a Google News search for Swedish Match...
swedish match - Google News
the first entry takes me to the full article!!

WTF!


Anyone else get the same results??

[snusgetter]

In a nutshell...

"The company, which to date has only dipped its toes into the small-but-growing segment of the U.S. smokeless-tobacco industry, is unveiling two new versions of its General brand for American consumers and sharply expanding retail distribution starting this month. Initial markets will be Chicago, Dallas and Philadelphia, executives said in an interview Thursday."

"Swedish Match said it intends to emphasize to consumers that General is an authentic Swedish snus that has been made in Sweden for more than 150 years. The new Nordic Mint and Classic Blend varieties will sell at a slight premium to Camel Snus, the market leader in the U.S."



Wonder if these will be available through the Snuson Shop??

[Langdell]

This sounds like very promising news. And I noticed two especially great things about this article itself. 1. It does not even define "snus" until the middle of the third paragraph. That means the writer assumes that enough Americans now know what snus is that he didn't have to define it right off the bat. 2. It actually has this clear statement about health benefits, without any hemming and hawing around: "Research has shown that snus is substantially safer than cigarettes."

Great news, and great article about it!

[CoderGuy]

Wow so rare to see positive news for us, this is great! Would be so great if people actually learned about the benefits of snus over cigs instead of just assuming the worst and grouping it into the old smokeless tobacco mindset.

[truthwolf1]

I dont like these words one bit. will sell at a slight premium to Camel Snus

[Kaplan]

Good article...
Some of the highlights:

Rising sales of smokeless-tobacco products have raised concerns among some major anti-smoking groups, including the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, which worry that such products will keep smokers from quitting tobacco altogether. Other public-health advocates, pointing to the difficulty of quitting smoking, argue that smokeless tobacco could play a role in reducing tobacco-related disease in the U.S.

Research has shown that snus is substantially safer than cigarettes. However, companies can't make such health claims under a 2009 U.S. tobacco law unless they meet a series of high standards using scientific evidence. Swedish Match said it is looking into the possibility of filing an application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to have its snus products designated as "modified risk." The rules and process for such applications are still being worked out by the FDA.

Swedish Match controls about 85% of the snus market in Sweden and about 70% of the market in Norway. More men consume snus than smoke cigarettes in Sweden, the company noted.

Mr. Darrah acknowledged that the company faces a significant challenge in trying to gain retail-shelf space in the U.S., where Altria and Reynolds dominate the cigarette and smokeless categories. "What we need to do is sell the opportunity to the retailer," he said.

The company began selling General in the U.S. about five years ago, but sales primarily have been limited to tobacco shops. The company also focused initially on Swedish-American consumers.

Swedish Match will expand distribution into major convenience-store chains in the coming months. Mr. Darrah said the Nordic Mint variety that the company is introducing is designed to appeal to Americans' interest in flavored snus products.

Mr. Darrah said the increasing anti-smoking regulations and declining societal acceptance of cigarettes in the U.S. have created an environment similar to the one in Sweden more than 30 years ago that helped foster the rise in snus consumption.

[justintempler]

These are the same cans that were sent to the "kid" that everyone was making fun of in this thread:
http://www.snuson.com/forum/showthre...us-for-America

http://dev.generalsnus.com/blog/2011/06/default.aspx

HISTORY REPEATS AND FLAVORS EVOLVE.
by GENERAL® SNUS 16. June 2011 10:41
Our sleek new pack design may seem like a major departure for us, but it’s actually a throwback to the original one we had over 150 years ago. It’s the perfect mix of past and future and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
And to go with the new design we also have two exciting new flavors: General® Nordic Mint and General® Classic Blend.
Both will be available in the Chicago, Dallas and Philadelphia areas or you can buy online. Check our where to buy section for a store in your area.

[chadizzy1]

I've talked to friends who have tried this (fellow snus bloggers/website writers) and they've said generally positive things so far. So people in the snus world like it, that's a good sign.

[Nate5700]

If it's not sickeningly sweet like the Camel is, and the pouches are bigger, I'll probably pick these up from time to time if I can get them at QuikTrip. A little disappointing that it's just 15 portions to a can.

So Chad, is this what the "secret snus summit" was about? Interesting that this officially came out while that was going on.

[chadizzy1]

If it's not sickeningly sweet like the Camel is, and the pouches are bigger, I'll probably pick these up from time to time if I can get them at QuikTrip. A little disappointing that it's just 15 portions to a can.

So Chad, is this what the "secret snus summit" was about? Interesting that this officially came out while that was going on.

Yeah I was supposed to be there but missed my flight, I was quite bummed.

It was a meeting with all the US snus bloggers (me, Larry, DrSnus, the Epheremesis(sp?) people, Snustopia) and everyone got to try the new products. Watch their blogs in the coming days as they'll be posting their impressions of the new stuff.

[cybowolf]

Classic and Nordic Mint are now also listed under the products sections at the official generalsnus.com (registration/login required). There are also serveral additional photos and action shots of both products (just the cans though).

-cybowolf

[chadizzy1]

"Bold Look. Classic Tobacco Flavor. Innovative packaging and true tobacco satisfaction come together in a new snus from General that truly lives up to its name. General Classic Blend has a well-balanced tobacco flavor with notes of caramel and exotic herbs for a snus experience that’s truly original."


"Sleek Look. Cool Fresh Flavor. Innovative packaging and quality tobaccos come together as one in a new snus from General made with the same high standard of quality for 150 years. Our new Nordic Mint is a refreshing blend of peppermint and spearmint, with subtle herbal notes that delivers a long lasting and unique flavor."

[Ephemeris]

Basic gist of the summit was this:

Round can General is still going to be available, marketed mainly to upscale tobacconists like it has been for the last few years. It's not going to be marketed to convenience stores or cigarette smokers.

The two new blends are going to be sold at convenience stores, at a 10% higher price than Camel snus. They portions are basically the same as the General Smooth portion in size and moisture, with the same amount of nicotine (7 mg). They will come 15 portions to a pack. You've seen the new pack- it's very similar to the old Nick and Johnny East/West "coffin" cases, but it's much slimmer and the catch lid is at the bottom. It's the slimmest snus container in the world (not counting the silly foil Marlboro packs).

I've not tried the Nordic Mint but the Classic Blend still tastes pretty close to "real" General, but it has clearly been tweaked for the US market. It's not very salty, and the citrus has been cranked up quite a bit. Not bad, in my opinion. Not sweet at all, but not as salty and bitter as many Americans claim that General White tastes at first blush. (Their ultimate goal, from what I gather, was to "Americanize" General White).

I don't know when/if Northerner is getting the new line, but Buysnus and their related stores should get some in on Monday. I think. I was pretty out of it when they were going over that part...