KT&G to Launch Lil Solid in Eastern Europe, Central Asia

KT&G launched its heated tobacco product (HTP), lil SOLID 2.0, in four countries – Armenia and Serbia in Eastern Europe and Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia in the second quarter of this year. KT&G is now exporting the lil SOLID series to seven countries and plans to ship them to more countries in the near future.

The latest version of the lil SOLID series the tobacco firm introduced in 2017, the lil SOLID 2.0 has an upgraded design and performance. Lil SOLID is an HTP used to smoke Fiit tobacco sticks, according to the Korea Times. The new version was launched first in the Korean market in January and customers praised the products product for the battery life offered and its induction heater system.

“Our product, lil, is gaining popularity in the export markets thanks to our collaboration with Philip Morris International,” Lim Wang-seop, head of KT&G NGP Business Division, said during a conference call held in February. “We originally set a goal of entering a single-digit number of countries this year, but we have changed it to the double digits.”

KT&G previously entered the overseas markets in August 2020, with Russia as the first export country for its very first lil SOLID product. One month later, the tobacco firm started selling the e-cigarette in Ukraine as well.

In the following month, KT&G also advanced into the Japanese market with lil HYBRID 2.0 and MIXX. The product was only available in Fukuoka and Miyagi first, but after the had gained popularity in just four months, KT&G decided to expand across the country.

Japan is globally the largest consumer of e-cigarettes and is a market where various products are vying for market share. Industry sources say that KT&G’s hybrid e-cigarette successfully differentiates itself from the existing products and has received positive feedback.