Ploom sales expanding

Japan Tobacco Inc. said today that it would expand the sales area of its Ploom TECH starter kit and tobacco capsules in the cities of Sapporo, Sendai, Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka and Hiroshima from February 5.

The company said there had been ‘excellent feedback’ on the product from customers since its launch at certain stores in Fukuoka, and via a specialized Ploom online shop in March, 2016. JT launched the product also in the Tokyo metropolitan area from June, 2017, and expanded the sales area in Tokyo from the end of October, 2017.

The important aspect of the announcement about the expansion of sales, however, has more to do with manufacturing capacity issues, which have been a problem and allowed other companies to move ahead in the rapidly-growing, heat-not-burn segment of the Japanese market.

Ploom TECH was a tobacco vapor device providing a new way to enjoy tobacco by using an indirect, low-temperature tobacco-heating technology, JT said as part of its announcement. The granulated tobacco in the capsule was heated, but there was no combustion or ‘direct tobacco heating at high temperatures’.

‘Ploom TECH allows consumers to enjoy a clear tobacco taste while at the same time significantly decreasing the smoke smell compared to traditional cigarettes,’ the company said.

Both the starter kit and tobacco capsules are due to be on sale in nearly 150 tobacco stores in six cities – Sapporo, Sendai, Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka and Hiroshima – from February 5.