Tuesday, January 15 2008
New York, NY - General Cigar is lighting up 2008 with an array of exciting retail promotions and new products debuting in the first quarter of '08.
Now that holiday shopping is a thing of the past, General Cigar is doing its part to put a spark into first quarter retail sales. The company has put together a schedule of exciting events destined to take "retail-tainment" to new heights.
Consumers and retailers alike will have their burning questions about cigar-making answered beginning in February. All the while, they're set to be wowed by the Macanudo® Factory Ambassadors who will traverse the U.S. to extol the praises of the perennial best seller, while sharing the knowledge culled from intensive training within General Cigar Dominicana's farms and factories. During factory ambassador events, retailers will offer a buy-three, get-one-free special on Macanudo four-packs, which contain four expressions of Macanudo Hampton Court (Macanudo Café cigars, Robust, Maduro and Macanudo Gold Label cigars). Exciting cigar-related prizes and gift certificates for redemption within the host store will also be offered during factory ambassador events.
The Partagas® Cigars "Quality Tour" is out to prove that good taste can be acquired. Legendary Cigar Master Benji Menendez will host special "Partagas Quality Nights" at select tobacco retail shops beginning in February. Benji will turn cigar aficionados into sages by presiding over a taste test in which filler tobaccos are smoked individually in "fumas." At the conclusion of each event, Benji will leave behind a group of educated customers who can discern different types of filler tobacco and the way in which they impact a cigar's taste.
La Gloria Cubana Cigars is bringing a bit of Little Havana to retailers with its La Gloria Cubana® Domino Tournaments which will be held at select tobacconists beginning in March. At each event, General Cigar's event managers become domino instructors who teach the game and hand out complimentary cigars and prizes. Special ten-count boxes of La Gloria Cubana cigars will be available at each participating retail location prior to and during the tournament.
Tobacco retail shops around the country will be transformed into miniature rolling galleries beginning in February thanks to La Gloria Cubana In-Store Super Roll events. Featuring step-by-step cigar rolling demonstrations, cigar lovers will be given the opportunity to learn just how difficult it is to roll a cigar according to the standards of La Gloria Cubana.
As if General Cigar's retail events weren't enough, the Company has a parade of several exciting new products slated to debut during the beginning of 2008.
For the cigar smoker with a penchant for Honduran cigars, there's a reason to smile: Punch Gran Puro Sesenta (6 ¼" x 60) will debut at retail for a suggested retail price of $5.25 per cigar. Sesenta will be joined by Don Tomás Clasico Toro, a 6" x 54 cigar that will be available beginning in February for an SRP of $4.30 apiece.
There's also good news for fans of La Gloria Cubana Serie R cigars. The Belicoso frontmark (5 3/4" x 56) will be available as an open stock item, for a suggested retail price of $6.50 per cigar.
Hoyo de Monterrey Cigars will soon boast two exciting offers that are destined to fly off tobacconists' shelves. Beginning in late February, two sampler packs, each containing four Hoyo cigars for the price of three, will be available in the popular Hoyo Dark Sumatra and Hoyo de Tradición collections.
As if the new products and promotions detailed above weren't enough, General Cigar is also doling out its annual shipment of Punch Rare Corojo cigars (which will ship in March). The perennial favorite will available until its allotment has been depleted at retail, and will be replenished with limited allocations later this year. £
