There’s little doubt within the tobacco industry that electronic cigarette enthusiasm is high. So it makes sense that Wells Fargo senior analyst Bonnie Herzog decided to center her most recent “Tobacco Talk” series around the nascent category, inviting Kevin Frija of Vapor Corp. to share his insights on the segment. “The retailers are definitely open…
DetailsThe American Legacy Foundation says that smoking by high-school students has fallen 18 percent since 2000, adding that antismoking ads deserve some of the credit, the Washington Post reported recently. The National Youth Tobacco Survey also said smoking among middle-school students dropped 5.4 percent. The survey, conducted with the federal Centers for Disease Control and…
DetailsMost major oil companies are joining forces to help stem skimming incidents at the pump, BankInfoSecurity reports. The companies are sharing data about skimming incidents to create a new database that will assist the industry in following fraud trends. The Petroleum Convenience Alliance for Technology Standards (PCATS) is managing the database, which also receives information…
DetailsIf you transferred anything of value to another person during 2012, consider whether you need to file a gift tax return. Some transfers require a return even if you don’t owe tax. And, in some cases, it’s desirable to file a return even if it’s not required. Generally, you’ll need to file a gift tax…
DetailsThe Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American craft brewers, has issued a statement regarding the increase in production and promotion of craft-like beers by large, non-craft breweries: An American craft brewer is defined as small and independent. Their annual production is six million barrels of beer or less, and…
DetailsDollar General is planning to add cigarettes and other tobacco products to the product mix at the majority of its U.S. stores by the middle of 2013. The company, with 10,000 retail locations nationwide, cited “competitive pressures” and a perceived customer demand as the reasons behind this move. The rollout follows on the heels of…
DetailsThe Midwest drought, the “pink slime” controversy, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) were the most influential food stories for consumers in 2012, according to a survey by Hunter Public Relations. The firm’s annual Food News Study, conducted by Digital Research, Inc., polled 1,000 Americans about their perceptions on the year’s top food stories and how…
DetailsWhile the economic downturn has affected consumer spending across many sectors, craft and craft-style beers are defying recessionary trends with an impressive upward trajectory. The latest research by Mintel on the craft beer market in the United States shows that sales of craft beer nearly doubled between 2007 and 2012, increasing from $5.7 billion in…
DetailsThe power of unions has sharply declined, with its share of the workforce falling to its lowest point in 97 years, the New York Times reports. Union membership only accounts for 11.3% of the workforce in 2012, a drop from 11.8% the year before. Unionization registered a lower percentage only in 1916 (11.2%). The U.S.…
DetailsRespondents to a recently conducted survey of tobacco retailer and wholesaler contacts representing more than 45,000 U.S. convenience stores revealed that the competitive environment improved during fourth-quarter 2012, with fewer respondents indicating a competitive environment versus the third quarter. The survey also showed: Total cigarette industry volumes should be down about 3% during the fourth…
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