OK Codger

Where's my Sugar Barrel!?

(Tobacco Business) … While pipe tobacco sales continue a slow decline on the mass market side, Wortzel reports that sales of premium pipe tobaccos in premium tobacco shops are holding steady and that there may well be more premium pipe tobacco consumers today than there were 15 years ago. These new pipe tobacco consumers are willing to experience different blends than their predecessors, who were likely to be loyal to one brand. They’re also not quite as price conscious as pipe smokers have typically been in the past.
“It would not surprise me that retailers who are committed to the pipe side are seeing a growth in their pipe tobacco business because there are new pipe smokers continually coming into this category,” Wortzel concludes. “They’re not smoking the same volume that the old-timers were, but they are coming into the category, and they’re into the premium side of it. The new enthusiasts like to try other tobaccos and experiment with different blends. Continued