Imperial launching lifestyle electronic cigarette

Imperial Tobacco is due to launch a new electronic cigarette in France on Monday, a move that, according to a story by Martinne Geller for Reuters, will give the company a lifestyle brand to stand alongside its existing brand, Puritane, which is marketed more as a healthcare product.

The new brand, called Jai, will be sold in tobacconists, while Puritane is sold online and exclusively through a pharmacy chain in Britain.

“We believe there are different consumer groups with different needs,” Heidi Theys, head of vaping category development at Imperial’s Fontem Ventures unit, which sells non-tobacco products, was quoted as saying.

Fontem has an application pending with Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency to have Puritane approved as a medical device, which would allow it to make claims related to health or smoking cessation.

Jai is due to be launched in Italy by the end of the month.