According to a report from journalnow on September 26th, the latest data from Nielsen Convenience Store Report reveals that the market share of R.J. Reynolds’ Vuse e-cigarette continues to slightly decline, dropping by 0.2 percentage points. Nevertheless, it still maintains its position as the market leader in the United States.
According to the data, the market share of Vuse has declined from 41.7% to 41.5%, while the second-ranked Juul’s market share remains unchanged at 24.7%. In May 2019, Juul held a significant market share of 74.6% in the US e-cigarette market, but a series of regulatory measures resulted in reduced production of their products.
Meanwhile, despite Altria Group’s ownership of the third-ranked NJoy, their market share has not significantly increased, remaining at 2.6%. The market share of BlueCigs, a subsidiary of Imperial Brands Plc specializing in technology applications, also remains unchanged at 1.2%.
According to Barclays, Nielsen’s report primarily covers information from large chain stores for the four-week period ending on September 9th. The group extrapolates trends for small chain stores based on the data from large chain stores, which is why changes in the report may not be immediately apparent.
Over the past 12 to 18 months, the consumer demand for tobacco products has fluctuated due to the impact of inflation and short-term price increases in traditional cigarettes. According to this report, Juul’s dollar sales within a four-week period have risen by 50.2% compared to the August 2019 report. However, there has been a recent decline of 17.5%.
In comparison, Reynolds’ Vuse e-cigarette saw a 2% increase in the latest report, while NJoy experienced a decline of 9.5% and BlueCigs dropped by 19.5%. The overall e-cigarette category witnessed a decline of 6.3%. Over the past four weeks, the tobacco industry as a whole has faced certain pressures in terms of sales revenue and volume.
This Nielsen report highlights California’s ban on menthol-flavored traditional cigarettes, which account for 8% of the US market. Industry analyst Bonnie Herzog states, “Looking ahead, we anticipate that cigarette sales may further decline, especially considering the current continuous rise in oil prices, which are nearing the $4 per gallon mark.”
In 2022, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. has increased the wholesale prices of cigarettes four times, with particularly high increases in both January and June. Similarly, Philip Morris USA has raised prices three times this year. Wholesale prices refer to the amount paid by retailers to cigarette manufacturers, and typically, these additional costs are passed on to retail consumers.
According to the latest report, Philip Morris has reached a peak market share of 50.9%, with their best selling brand, Marlboro, accounting for 45.8% of the overall market share. Meanwhile, Reynolds Tobacco Company holds a share of 33.4%.
