NEW YORK -- Marlboro and Newport could butt heads for market share.
If the quarterly UBS-CSP Daily News/Tobacco E-News retailer survey portrays the sense of the street, these two leading brands will be looking at strong years within the c-store cigarette category.
According to 55 convenience store businesses representing more than 11,600 stores, 42% expected Marlboro to gain the most market share in 2012, with another 37% predicting Newport; 20% favored Camel as the likeliest to gain most market share this year.
"For us, Camel has the most to gain. And they are getting more aggressive in courting our business," one operator said. "This year we may sign a contract with them after about five years without one."
Another operator touted Lorillard's Newport, saying, "rollout of the Non-Menthol has been a strong addition to an already strong line."
Several cited Marlboro's brand extensions as a big edge. "More Marlboro brand names, more sales," one retailer said.
Referring to the big 3 brands, another operator said, "I expect them each to stay flat, but if one does gain I would expect Marlboro because they seem to be the one with the most new/innovative items."
The respondents represent a cross-section of the convenience channel from the single-store operator to mid-size operations to companies stretching well above 500 sites. [As part of the confidentiality agreement, CSP/Tobacco E-News is prohibited from disclosing specific companies or their precise store count.]
[Watch for additional reports from the UBS-CSP Daily News/Tobacco E-News survey in CSP Daily News.]
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