Category: News This Week

  • Disposable e-liquids only for retail sale

    US-based LOGIC Technology is preparing to launch its LOGIC PRO Advanced Vapor Systems: what it describes as ‘the first-of-its-kind “closed-system” vaporizing device ever to hit the market’.

    The new systems are said to ‘work in conjunction with revolutionary pre-filled, sealed eliquid capsules to provide a heightened level of taste, consistency and value to adult consumers’.

    ‘Building on a long history of premium and innovative product development, LOGIC Technology designed the LOGIC PRO to work with specialized, proprietary disposable capsules that are only available for purchase at LOGIC’s partner retailers; this not only allows retailers to recapture and maintain sales, it also enhances the vaping experience for the adult consumer,’ the company said in a press note.

    ‘Beyond providing consistent quality taste, these sealed eliquid capsules don’t produce the messy and costly spillage associated with traditional drip eliquid.’

    The new systems are due to be made available in retail outlets by the winter. “We are thrilled to bring a product to market that fills the need of our adult consumers,” said Miguel Martin, president of LOGIC Technology.

    “With the amount of money that is lost by retailers from online eliquid sales, we are pleased to offer our retailers and partners a piece of that market share.”

  • ‘Banned’ e-cigarette available online

    Electronic cigarettes, which are not licensed for sale in Taiwan, are widely available online, according to a Taipei Times story citing an investigation by Taipei city’s Department of Health.

    The department’s first probe into electronic cigarette availability found 318 different models or related products available online.

    The unlicensed distribution and production of all products containing nicotine is prohibited under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act.

    Even marketing nicotine-free products as aids to quit smoking is illegal under the act.

    The department said that while electronic cigarettes were rarely sold openly in stores, they were sometimes available from night market vendors operating under the cover of selling cigarette lighters and other products.

  • Davidoff London replaces cigarettes with vapor products

    Davidoff London will remove several brands of cigarettes in preference for high-tech electronic vaping hardware and compatible “gourmet” liquids from Vapelux.

    “We have been advised and work closely with Nick Roman from Vapelux to ensure we have a complete range of high quality and genuine products suitable for the novice to intermediate user,” says Eddie Sahakian, managing director of the flagship Davidoff store. “Our customers are impressed by the selection, which includes the popular Vapelux disposables, starter kits and the premium e-liquids, together with genuine hardware and accessories from various international brands.”

    Ahead of EU regulations to be imposed on tobacco products, retailers are beginning to acknowledge the rise in popularity of e-cigarettes, where industry experts predict this category to overtake conventional tobacco products revenue within the next decade.

    “This looks like a very interesting move,” said Clive Bates, public health blogger at The Counterfactual and former director, Action on Smoking and Health. “To the extent that tobacco vendors replace their cigarette brands with vapor products, they are shifting into a better, more credible business model. The customers are looking for a new value proposition—from vapor products they can find much of what they like about smoking, but without the serious health risks and other downsides of smoking.”

    “It is very encouraging to see that such a classical and timeless retailer has decided to stock our entire product range,” says David Taylor, CEO of Vapelux. “Davidoff London has been established for many years predominantly in tobacco and smoking accessories with many famous clients including Hollywood superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger and others, but they have made a very wise decision in dedicating display space to this exciting new category. Our ethos is to educate the general smoking public that there is something inherently different and elegant available and I am very happy that Davidoff London also shares this vision.”

  • ITM automates e-cigarette production

    itm-e-cig-automationTDC, a member of the ITM Group, has introduced a fully integrated, modular e-cigarette automation platform. The technology generated such a level of interest that company had to extend its launch event in Kampen, Netherlands, by three weeks.

    Currently, most e-cigarettes are assembled manually by Chinese subcontractors employing thousands of workers. Greater regulation and higher product standards are expected to drive manufacturing to end-markets such as the Europe and the United States, where labor is more expensive. Because of this and other factors, demand for automated solutions is likely to grow.

    To proof its concept of fully automated production, TDC developed its own second-generation e-cigarette.

    TDC aims to pursue an open source, platform-based strategy for e-cigarettes. “We want to be able to support our customers from the research and development phase of the product, to the production and delivery of total turn-key projects,” says TDC Managing Director Jeroen Slobbe.

  • Reilly takes helm at Clearette

    Clearette Electronic Cigarette Co. has named Edward Reilly as its new president and CEO. Reilly previously held the position of chief operating officer. He was preceded as CEO by Leonardo Lombardo.

    Under Reilly’s command as COO, Clearette has expanded from a small e-cigarette company to a full vapor-tanks mods company. Reilly has spearheaded major strategy and technical shifts across Clearette’s portfolio of products, most notably in the company’s implementation of its laboratory and cleanroom facility.

    Reilly is confident that sales will continue to surpass quotas as the firm focuses on its new U.S. line of premium e-liquids. He has implemented scrupulous regulations and has instituted company standards, which he believes will not only set the bar for other e-cigarette and VTM companies, but will exceed Clearette’s customers’ expectations.

     

  • E-cigarettes to move out of TV shadows

    Electronic cigarettes may be shown in UK television advertisements from November 10, according to a BBC news story quoting the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP).

    Ruling for the first time specifically on electronic cigarettes, the CAP said advertisements must not target under-18s or non-smokers, and must not show tobacco ‘in a positive light’.

    While the advertising of electronic cigarettes on television is already allowed, currently the device itself must not appear on screen.

    The committee said the new rules would be reviewed after a year.

  • National Vapers Club changes ownership

    Spike Babaian has transferred his interest in the National Vapers Club (NVC) to the board of directors.

    “I am pleased that the current board of directors will be responsible for the development of NVC during the next stage of its growth. The future of the organization cannot be in better hands,” said Babaian.

    “The board of directors looks forward to continuing its mission to support consumers of vaping products through funding research, education and advocacy on the local, state and federal levels,” said Chelle Schlake, chairwoman of the board and president.

    Founded in 2009, NVC is a U.S. volunteer organization that raises funds for scientific research, provides education about vaping products, and helps protect vapers’ rights by activism on the local, state and federal levels.

    The group also presents Vapefest, a semi-annual convention for vapers. With funds raised, NVC funded the Indoor Vapor Air Quality Study (www.ivaqs.com), which was published in the peer-reviewed journal, Inhalation Toxicology in October 2012. The funds raised during the 2013-2014 Vapefest events are currently held in trust while the board reviews research grant proposals.

    Spring Vapefest will be held at the Flamingo in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, March 6 -7, 2015.

     

     

  • VMR & National Tobacco bring V2 Pro vaporizers to retail

    VMR Products will make its V2 Pro Series 3 open-system vaporizer available to retailers through its distribution partnership with National Tobacco Co. (NTC).

    In April 2013, VMR announced a strategic partnership with NTC to deliver its popular V2 e-cigarette to the traditional retail market. V2 is now sold in more than 40,000 U.S. locations.

    “After seeing such success with VMR’s V2 electronic cigarette, we are very excited to add V2 Pro to our product arsenal,” said Larry Wexler, CEO of NTC. “This will allow retailers to more deeply penetrate the growing vaporizer customer base. It is a very significant opportunity and we are thrilled to be at the forefront, bringing these devices in-store.”

    V2 Pro is designed for the emerging large-scale vapor device category. The V2 Pro Series 3 features the ability to vaporize e-liquid, loose leaf tobacco, and wax, and are “smart”—automatically controlling the temperature to accommodate the user’s preferred medium.

    “We are excited about the early success of Series 3 and are motivated to continue bringing high-level innovation to the market,” said Jan Verleur, CEO and co-founder of VMR Products. “Our partnership with NTC provides the perfect platform to introduce V2 Pro to retail.”

     

  • E-cig maker to challenge EU Products Directive

    Totally Wicked, a leading U.K. e-cigarette manufacturer, has won the right to formally challenge the validity of the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) at the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) in Luxembourg.

    At a hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice, Justice Green decided that a preliminary ruling reference should be made to the CJEU, to determine whether Article 20 of the TPD breaches EU law. It is expected that a hearing will take place at the CJEU in 2015.

    Totally Wicked becomes the first e-cigarette manufacturer to win the right to challenge a directive that will bring e-cigarettes and e-liquid within its regulatory scope as a tobacco-related product and subject e-cigarettes to more stringent regulation than some conventional tobacco products.

    Totally Wicked believes that the TPD is likely to adversely impact the availability of good quality, e-cigarettes and e-liquids, and jeopardize their potential as a less harmful alternative to combustible tobacco.

    Totally Wicked’s challenge is based on its view that Article 20 of the TPD represents a disproportionate impediment to the free movement of goods and the free provision of services, places e-cigarettes at an unjustified competitive disadvantage to tobacco products, fails to comply with the general EU principle of equality, and breaches the fundamental rights of e-cigarette manufacturers.

     

  • Blu Plus+ debuts in Las Vegas

    Blu Ecigs’ is officially launching its new Blu Plus+ rechargeable kit during the NACS Trade Show, Oct. 7-10, 2014, at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

    The Blu line is equipped with a new, pre-filled tank system and a larger battery, which last twice as long as before. There are no buttons to push, dials to twist, or any other complicated procedures to get the tank ready.

    “Here at Blu, we are constantly chasing the cigarette experience and satisfaction adult smokers want from an e-cigarette, and the Plus+ is certainly a step in the right direction,” says Jason Healy, president of Blu Ecigs.

    “The benefits that we have just unleashed speak to what adult smokers have been searching for in both cigalikes and vapor-tank mods, combining technology with the simple enjoyment that Blu Ecigs electronic cigarettes have been known for.”

    The new Blu Plus+ will be available in retail stores across the U.S. by mid-November.