FRAMINGHAM, Mass. --Although it may seem like a new retailer is diving head-first into the burgeoning vaping market with every passing minute, there are those who are more than content to watch from the sidelines.
The Northeast’s largest convenience store retailer, Cumberland Farms, is one of them.
“While it is easy to get excited about open systems, we believe that when you dig a bit deeper, there are some concerns for a retailer such as Cumberland Farms,” Anne Flint, senior category manager for the Framingham, Mass.-based chain, told Tobacco E-News. “These products carry a higher responsibility for a retailer and operating mostly in the Northeast, these considerations are magnified.”
Flint added she is not yet convinced that a convenience store retailer can truly be successful with vape, due to the clerk training and dedicated space the segment needs to thrive.
“We believe one of the keys to being a successful retailer is knowing what you are and what you are not,” she said. “We are not a vape-shop and feel that our current lineup best compliments the other key initiatives we have within our locations.”
That e-cigarette lineup currently includes a mix of disposable, rechargeable and refill cartridges from Logic, blu, NJOY and V2.
“We continue to be pleased with our electronic cigarettes,” said Flint. “Beyond the sales, we find the margins to be accretive to that of traditional cigarettes and believe that they are bringing in new adult consumers that may have been shopping at other locations.”
And, for the time being at least, Cumberland Farms will stick with this plan.
“Vape shops may be stealing business, but we have made a conscious decision to not enter that business,” Flint said.
Cumberland Farms is a family-owned and -operated chain of approximately 600 convenience stores in 11 states.
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