It is increasingly common to see people puffing on an e-cigarette rather than a cigarette, but do you know who’s who in the vaping industry? With sales increasing year on year and more and more smokers aiming to quit, this is a valuable, lucrative market that many companies are keen to crack. If you take a look online or you browse the products available in-store, you’ll soon notice that there are myriad brands on offer, indicating that competition is rife. It’s understandable to assume that vaping brands are in direct competition with tobacco companies, and that they’re slowly but steadily defeating these giants as smokers turn to healthier alternatives. However, as this infographic explains, it’s not all bad news for tobacco firms. If you look closely at some of the best-selling vaping brands out there and do your homework, you’ll find that some actually belong to tobacco firms. Take Blu as an example. As you can see on the infographic, Blu is owned by the parent company, Imperial Brands plc, which is part of the Big Tobacco family.
Although there’s a clear correlation between vaping brands and tobacco companies, the vast majority of brands are independently owned. Around 80 percent of the brands analysed for this infographic belong to an independent company. There are also five well-known brands, which are owned by parent companies that have no association with tobacco. Increasing e-cigarette sales may appear to be harmful to tobacco companies on the surface, but are these giants actually enjoying the best of both worlds?
Infographic designed by Go Smoke Free
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