Japan Tobacco Accelerating Its Investments

LONDON — Japan Tobacco International (JTI) is gearing up for it future, looking at reduced risk products to push its investments.

According to Bonnie Herzog, managing director of beverage, tobacco and convenience store at Wells Fargo Securities LLC, JTI's goal is to become the leader in emerging products and it is accelerating its investments behind e-vapor, tobacco-vapor and next generation products.

Herzog attended JTI's Investor Meeting in London on Sept. 18.

The tobacco company's move in e-vapor comes behind its acquisitions of E-Lites and Logic. In tobacco-vapor, JTI continues to build on its acquisition of ploom, she said.

Looking to next generation products, JTI is continuing to develop products. Overall, JTI is committed to reduced risk products and is currently working an innovative tobacco-vapor proposition and pilot launches are planned for 2016, according to Herzog.

"We remain cautious near term given slowing category growth and regulatory uncertainty, but bullish long-term continuing to believe consumption of vapor and other non-combustibles could surpass consumption of combustible cigs in the next decade (by 2025)," she explained.