CHICAGO -- Positioning its nicotine-delivery pouch Zyn as a hip, discreet alternative to smoking, Swedish Match designed a temporary retail store in Chicago to resemble an upscale coffee shop, complete with common seating area, free Wi-Fi and vinyl record players.
The marketing play echoes what Swedish Match has done in the past, having opened concept stores for its General Snus product a couple of years ago. As for Zyn, Swedish Match started rolling out the product after an initial test in Denver and West Coast markets in 2015. Zyn is now in 13 western states, with the Midwest launch currently progressing toward its goal of 1,000-1,200 c-stores, gift shops, tobacco outlets and other retail spaces in the Chicago area.
“We’re building toward capacity,” said Joe Ackerman, director of marketing, new products, for Swedish Match, Richmond, Va. “Chicago is a market that’s important to us.”
Here’s a look into the Zyn pop-up store in Chicago ...