Imperial Brands, the parent company of Blu vape, has announced that it will launch its latest HNB product, Pulze, in Fukuoka Prefecture, western Japan, on May 6, to become the fourth tobacco giant to enter Japan in the hope of attracting customers who are not satisfied with existing alternatives to cigarettes.
Pulze has two modes of high temperature and low temperature, each charge can last 20 cigarette bombs.
Multinational tobacco companies such as Philip Morris International, British American Tobacco and Japanese Tobacco International are actively entering the heat not burn market. At first, Imperial Brands avoided this product type, but then began to pay attention to it.
Imperial Brands believes that by fiscal year 2020, Japan’s market value of heat no burn will reach 2 billion US dollars, so it hopes to land in Japan to have a try in this sub-area.
“Pulze is consistent with the company’s development strategy,” Phillips said. “We founded Fontem Ventures in 2012. The company was founded to keep abreast of market trends. About six years ago, we began to study this kind of product in depth. We believe that Imperial Brands has the ability to provide high quality products to global consumers.”
“There are more opportunities for heat not burn products globally. And we should also enter this field. In 2018, Imperial Brands tested a new Mylu product with zero nicotine content in the Japanese market. After receiving good market feedback, we were ready to launch the product throughout Japan.”
Myblu vape
As we all know, Japan is the most developed market in the world for heat not burn products. Five years ago, Philip Morris International launched its iQOS in Japan for the first time. British American Tobacco and Japanese Tobacco subsequently launched their own products. Japan is thus the best place for the global trial for heat not burn products.
Global restrictions on smoking are becoming increasingly stringent, consumers are constantly turning to relatively healthy products, and tobacco giants are under increasing pressure. So HNB becomes a promising area of subdivision.
Although the growth momentum of BNB tobacco in Japan has slowed down, the market of new equipment may change this situation. Euromonitor International predicts that Japan’s share of heating tobacco market will increase from 17% in 2018 to 26% in 2022.
It is repoted that in addition to Pulze equipment, Imperial Brand is also developing a hybrid device, Nixx. This is an atomizing device containing tobacco. Nixx can provide consumers with abundant tastes by soaking tobacco in e liquid.
Phillips said in the second half of 2018: “After Puzle, Nixx plans to be launched in the first half of 2019. Japan will be an ideal market for this product.
