LONDON -- Imperial Tobacco PLC’s premium cigar group has announced the formation of Tabacalera USA, which will oversee the company’s leading premium cigar business subsidiaries in the U.S. market, according to The Tobacco Reporter.
Tabacalera USA will oversee the Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based premium cigar division of Altadis USA, which manufactures handmade cigar brands such as Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta and VegaFina.
Tabacalera USA also will be responsible for the Burlington, N.C.-based JR Cigar and its affiliates. JR Cigar is one of the largest premium cigar wholesale and retail businesses in the United States and features retail stores, upscale cigar lounges and an online business.
“Tabacalera USA, with these separate premium cigar companies as key pillars, will allow us to further expand our U.S. presence and capitalize on future changes and opportunities in this strategic market,” Fernando Dominguez, premium cigar director for Imperial Tobacco Group, said in a press statement obtained by the industry news outlet.
Both the Altadis USA premium cigar team and JR Cigar will continue to be run separately and will report to Javier Estades, who will head Tabacalera USA, the report said. Estades has led the company’s premium cigar group in the United States since 2011.
“We have chosen to use the name Tabacalera to recognize and honor our cigar history and better align us with Tabacalera SLU, Imperial’s Madrid, Spain-based global premium cigar business,” said Estades.
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