Imperial Brands has stepped up market testing of its heated tobacco products through a national rollout in Greece.
Insights from Greek consumers on the Pulze device and iD heat sticks will help inform the potential for further launches in a focused number of European markets. Earlier this month, Imperial Brands launched a pilot trial for its tobacco heating products in the Czech Republic.
Building a targeted and sustainable next generation product (NGP) business is a key part of Imperial’s new strategy and its commitment to make a meaningful contribution to harm reduction.
According to the company, heated tobacco is an established NGP category in a number of European territories, including where Imperial already has a strong route to market for its traditional tobacco products.
“Heated tobacco continues to gain traction among adult smokers in Greece, and we see significant growth opportunities for our promising products in this category,” said Imperial Brands’ chief consumer officer, Anindya Dasgupta, in a statement.
“The valuable consumer insights we gain from the pilot initiatives in Greece and the Czech Republic will inform the scale and pace of further market rollouts.”
Heated tobacco currently accounts for more than 10 per cent of the total tobacco sector in Greece, with further strong growth anticipated.
The Pulze device heats but doesn’t burn ‘iD heat sticks’ to provide nicotine and tobacco aromas containing fewer and substantially lower levels of the harmful chemicals found in combustible cigarette smoke.
Unlike other heated tobacco products, the Pulze device does not require a charging case, offering up to 20 consecutive uses. It is available in copper and silver colors.
ID tobacco consumables are being made available in Greece in four flavors: Rich Bronze, Balanced Blue, Capsule Polar, and Ice.