Tobacco NPD returns for the New Year

JPS factory-made cigarettes

NEW EU regulations on the sale of tobacco products introduced last spring appeared to slow NPD for a time, but Imperial Tobacco is flexing its innovation muscles again.

Imperial has announced plans to launch three enhancements to its JPS factory-made cigarette range, which will roll out early this year.

Changes to the JPS range include an upgraded filter for JPS Real Blue cigarettes; a rebrand for JPS Silver, which now becomes JPS Silver Stream and also has an updated filter as well as new paper designed to create less smoke; JPS Green becomes JPS Green Edge and features a menthol inner liner within the packaging.

Stephen Phillips, brand manager at Imperial Tobacco, said: “These innovations to the JPS portfolio demonstrate how Imperial is leading the way in the tobacco category, delivering sophisticated product innovation in a post-standardised packaging environment that meets the needs of our consumers and delivers continued profitability to our retailers. JPS is a key brand in our portfolio, with its variants currently commanding an overall FMC sector share of over 5%. We’re confident that JPS Real Blue, JPS Silver Stream and JPS Green Edge will be ‘must stocks’ in UK retailers’ gantries.”