Editorial

By Cecelia Blalock

New AWMA Chairman hopes to lead growth, both for the association and his company.

By Bob Gatty

AWMA’s new chairman for 2012, Chad Gummer, understands the importance of building on what has come before. That’s what he’s doing at Gummer Wholesale, Inc., Heath, OH, where he succeeded his father, Rick, as president in late 2010, and that’s what he intends to do for AWMA throughout the course of this year.

Innovation and impulse drive bagged candy category.

By Dara Chadwick

By Joanne Friedrick

Regionality, regulations, flavors and a younger demographic are redefining the cigar segment in c-stores.

By Lisa White

The cigar segment has undergone a major shift in recent years, and that’s a good thing.

Despite increasing regulations, this OTP category has benefitted from a growing demographic, innovative packaging innovations and new product introductions.

As more and more consumers turn to c-stores for foodservice, industry analysts saythe time is ripefor distributors and retailers to expand their fresh food and snack offerings.

By Joyce R. O’Brien

The federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Bureau (TTB) is expecting a court ruling by March of this year regarding the stay put on enforcement of the agency's action against automated in-store roll-your-own cigarette machines, Jerry Bowerman, director of TTB's Intelligence Division, told AWMA members attending a Tobacco Regulation session at the 2012 AWMA Show Feb. 16 in Las Vegas.

A U.S. judge in Washington, DC ruled Feb. 29 that regulations requiring large graphic health warnings on cigarette packaging and advertising violate free-speech rights as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled in favor of cigarette manufacturers, which challenged the Food and Drug Administration-s regulation requiring companies to label tobacco products with images designed to scare consumers into not using cigarettes.

A new study commissioned by AWMA’s Warehouse-Delivered Snacks Committee that is nearing completion will show that hundreds of millions of dollars in increased sales and profit are available to convenience manufacturers, distributors and retailers if they make specific changes in their business operations.