DTZ-trend report on InterTabac and InterSupply 2024

Dortmund, 19.09.2024 – The company Landewyck from Trier in the very west of Germany, for example, will be showcasing its "Mademoiselle" brand which is already on sale in France. Slim and elegant, the cigarettes come in two versions: "La Bleue" (balanced, mild) and the more bespoke "La Fusion" with a cavity filter. The Landewyck line-up naturally also includes the appropriate filter tips. The Mademoiselles will be available nationwide by the end of the year. BAT, on the other hand, has improved the filter on one of its successful "Pall Mall" brand cigarettes, with the new fairly mild "Pall Mall Spark" now coming with an activated charcoal filter to further enhance the consumer's smoking experience.

Lübeck-based company von Eicken has been serving the German market successfully with additive-free tobacco products for several years now. The "Pepe" brand meets the customer's desire for unadulterated smoking square-on. No wonder sales are rising. In addition to cigarettes, the Lübeck company also offers fine cuts. Internationally, some of von Eicken's truly winning products are the especially high-quality tobacco varieties in its "Chapman" brand. Visitors to the stand should also take a look at the 280 gram bucket of MYO (make your own) tobacco under the "Fairgreen" brand. This tobacco, which is also additive-free, is enough for 620 cigarettes. With Fairgreen, the north German company certainly demonstrates that the trend towards large packs is continuing unabated.

This year again, Dortmund is a real epicentre of the cigar industry. In a highly diverse market involving a host of importers and suppliers, the businesses represented at InterTabac will be presenting an incredible line-up of new products with modified formats, adapted tobacco blends and unusual flavours. One notable aspect is that many cigars are only available in limited editions, meaning that specialist retailers and pleasure smokers should not delay in placing their orders. One example is the "Coy24 Geniales Colorado" from CigarKings featuring powerful tobaccos from Ecuador and Nicaragua. The long filler has been developed for the "Color of the Year" series. Villiger is offering the "Miami Cañonazo Limited Edition" cigar which has a format similar to a Toro, is rolled in the Dominican Republic and contains a secret tobacco blend – although it's certainly clear that Peru is among the countries of origin.

The new "SeñorMatias" from Don Stefano are available in four formats (Robusto, Toro, Churchill and Torpedo). Company bosses Steffen and Matthias Rinn made their purchases in Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Peru. The blend, selected by one of the best raw tobacco experts in the world, ensures complex yet balanced flavours. Visitors to the show can also marvel at a real treasure at the Vandermarliere Cigar Family stand: the "Plasencia Cosecha 149". The name commemorates the family's 149th harvest, taken in during 2014, yielding tobaccos that are now perfectly suited to be savoured by consumers.

Indeed, there are also some new products in the cigar's slimline sister category of cigarillos. Villiger has been especially busy here. With its "Americanos Sumatra" and the "Americanos Brasil" products, the company located right on the German/Swiss border is presenting two offshoots of its own Brazilian closed-head cigars of the same name – unflavoured and without a filter. And the popular "Red" and "Green" filter cigarillos have been stretched to a certain extent and are now available as 90 millimetre long versions featuring the tried-and-trusted vanilla and caipirinha flavours.

For specialist retailers, smoking accessories are an interesting add-on proposition capable of generating attractive income. Cigarette papers, pods and tips are right at the top of the list. Three companies lead the market in Germany and beyond: Giza, OCB and Miquel y Costas. Manufacturers have long since been catering to classic smokers in the MYO and RYO segment, and have also been tapping into the exciting target market of cannabis consumers. With the cautious legalisation in Germany, sales in this area are likely to increase. Gizeh is making the most of this with its "King Size Slim + Active Filter" combination pack – a versatile and well thought-out product. Competitor OCB is showing various slim products that are also being launched in combination packs. The Heinsberg-based company also focuses on colourful, eye-catching designs. At Miquel y Costas – a company celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2024 – the papers in its own range have been improved once more and are now even smoother. MyC has also revamped its popular grinders (herb mills) and has, above all, refreshed their look.

From cigarette paper, it's a small hop to lighters, and smoking accessory wholesaler Akra has expanded its house brand "Caseti" to include in its tastefully coloured and high-quality collection not just humidor, cigar cutter and ashtray products but also a lighter with a double jet flame and piezo-electric ignition plus a viewing window for checking the gas level. Akra's competitor Hauser has the cool "Nora" model in its line-up as well as various classics. The lid of the appliance also acts as the lighter's igniter, and its slim design gives it an unfussy, smart-casual look. Curly&Smooth will be showcasing timeless classics at its stand, indeed its Ronson-brand cigar lighters – with their diverse options and rich features – have been around for 130 years. Kopp Pipes will be offering fans of high-quality smoking enjoyment just what they're looking for: "El Maestro" is a convincing and robust lighter that the Offenbach-based company offers in three designs and five finishes/decors. Also, the "ProBo" lighters in the White Elephant collection are also seriously stylish.

Kopp Pipes also offers fine briar enthusiasts beautiful and elegant pipes under its Rattray's brand, such as "Rattray's Skye". Other materials – such as ash – are also used. With its "Terenzi" collection, Hauser is presenting six models by Cesare Barontini. They are characterised by elegance and subtle contrasting accents. Pipe enthusiasts can also look forward to new – as yet unveiled – items from Vauen.

When it comes to reduced-risk products, nicotine pouches – which are in one sense evolved versions of Swedish snus – are worthy of mention. However, the products are not yet authorised in Germany. Tobacco heaters are another alternative to classic tobacco-based cigarettes. In terms of the German market and large swathes of the European market, the market is split between Philip Morris with its iQos brand, BAT with its Glo products and JTI (not present at the show) with Ploom X. Interested parties should definitely visit the companies' stands and have the functionality of the devices explained to them at the venue.

A lot has happened in the e-cigarette space over the last few months. While disposable appliances still dominated a year ago, they have now largely disappeared due to their extremely poor sustainability credentials. Most manufacturers have responded quickly and equipped their vapes with rechargeable batteries and interchangeable pods. This starts with producer Elfbar and extends to numerous smaller suppliers. Nic-salt (e.g. in the SKE or Lost Mary line-ups) is also topical once more. The variety of flavours remains unchanged, ranging from "Blue Razz Lemonade" to "Strawberry Raspberry Cherry Ice" and "Citrus Sunrise".

Anyone wishing to discover more about the current range and so-called disposables can do so by talking to the industry's key players, with wholesalers Innocigs and Intrade offering a comprehensive line-up featuring a wide variety of devices.

Specialist retailers looking to remodel or technically reorganise their business propositions really should visit the North Entrance complex where businesses like POS Tuning will be showcasing the latest trends in shopfitting. Large containers, anti-theft protection, and quick and inexpensive conversions are just some of challenges businesses are having to face up to. There is always something going on in the POS world too – in terms of both hardware and software. Schapfl is focusing on mobile recording devices, Relotec is continuing to optimise its system's operation, and Ingenieurbüro Hoffmann is looking to help users save time.