Why isn't swedish Snus sold in stores in the US? I haven't been able to find any in smoke shops, let alone convinience stores. Is it available in any "brick and mortar" stores in the US? Why isn't it distributed more widely if it is so much better and safer than American snus? Do the American tobacco companies have some kind of deal with most stores, or are foreign tobacco products somehow dissallowed? Any knowledge on this sunject would be much appreciated.

Welcome to the forum.

You have to understand that 5 years ago snus was almost entirely unknown in the US. Now , as much as I hate to say it, thanks to RJR, snus is becoming part of the language. There are fits and starts of US B&M distribution . Swedish Match is beginning to have a bigger presence and there is at least one other company with plans to reach a lot of markets. In another 5 years you will probably find snus as easily as dip or cigarettes.
Some snus brands are being blocked by US tobacco companies, but those involve copyright and trademark issues, not so much "foriegn" products.

They are working on it!

What are they "working on". Is there some kind of cert process they are completing, or are they just building buisness partners such as retailers and shippers etc? Any possibility RJR or other big companies are keeping them out themselves. Any specifics would be greatly appreciated.

Swedish Match is not planning any major expansion into the USA this year.

There are entities being set up as snus distributors; one in particular. You will not suddenly see US brick and mortar store availability coast to coast. It will be a slow process as consumer interest/knowledge increases.

Hopefully, you live near a store which will choose to carry Swedish/Scandinavian snus sooner than later.

Are you referring to the B&M retailers as mentioned earlier?

Also, do you think that swedish snus will ever be able to compete with camel and marlboro in american markets in the conventional convenience store locations?

Yes I was. Reynolds has slashed their production of Camel SNUS by at least 25% this year. Don't know about Marlboro but at $3.88 + tax in my town, it just seems to be sitting on the shelf.

Can Swedish/Scandinavia snus be able to compete in the US market? They should be able to own the US market but it will be a very slow process now.

1. Reynolds and PMUSA have redefined the real taste of snus in America; and in a bad way.

2. There were only about 4000 Americans using Swedish snus in the US in 2007. Most, including myself at that time, had no idea there was Real snus and thought Reynolds invented it. That's grown exponentially but snus still only made up about 2% of the MST sold in the US last year.

3. The key is consumer education. Sweden didn't understand that opening up the USA was more the equivalent of opening up 50 countries at the same time. Their efforts to date have been ranged from non-existent to not enough.

4. Between PACT, the Tobacco Control Act, and the local roadblocks, most Swedish Snus manufacturers are either not entering the US market or not putting any real effort to open people's eyes to the wonder of Real Snus.

5. The Tobacco Control Act and PACT should never have happened in America, but we are now Amerika where government has run amok. If they had to have happened, if they had waited 3 years or so, snus would be more publicly known and quicker to market. By effectively near-killing the snus eStores, it will take much longer for the public to embrace snus.

Because of the above, it will be a high risk move to distribute Swedish snus in the US and will start in small pockets of areas and slowly spread. One company is taking that challenge but the Amerikan government has really screwed everything up.

in regards to the local stores carrying snus, i have only found one in my area. it is a little cigar shop that carries a limited selection of general products. they keep it in a really cool general snus fridge with a glass face. anybody know where i can get one of those?

I want to bump this thread because the eventual distribution of Swedish snus in the US interests me a great deal. I look forward to the day when I can find a can of snus made by Swedish Match the same way I can find a pack of cigarettes. This has all been discussed at great length. Everyone blames Camel for miseducating the public about what snus actually is. Everyone praises Camel for introducing snus to the masses. Regardless of your stance, many fail to highlight Swedish Match's feeble efforts in marketing.

Swedish Match began their US marketing campaign by trying to appeal to a "high end" consumer. It tried to replicate what it represents (or claims to represent) in Swedish culture. It spent money on advertising at New York Fashion week, it tried to appeal to those on Wall Street. It began selling at specialty tobacconists. While that is all nice and well, these efforts have not aided in educating people about what snus actually is. The majority of tobacco consumers still think it's that stuff made by Camel that nobody buys. General has to come to peace with the fact that they have to lose some money before they can make some in the US market. They intended to enter the US smokeless tobacco market with a rather safe approach. They picked test markets that are safe and cost efficient. They supply to specialty tobacco retailers, where only educated tobacco consumers will be exposed to their product. They have failed to reach the everyday smoker, their target potential consumer. Swedish Match needs to start selling in the Seven Elevens and gas stations if it's going to being a major contender in the US smokeless tobacco market. Snus has exponential potential in the US, it may very well revolutionize tobacco consumption and the health care industry.

Couple of points to note - SwM does have a presence in Speedway gas stations in Ohio. That is as good as 7 Eleven .. and I think they had a big marketing presence at SxSW in Austin this year ... had a booth or something ...

I'm in the US, and for what it's worth, the two very "everyday smoker" friends of mine with whom I've shared snus, (a Military guy and a dairy farmer), have both quit smoking by using snus (Ettan lös and GLS respectively). And after 20 years of smoking, I'm coming up on my 6 month anniversary of effortlessly quitting 100%.

In other words, 100% of the three people who I know that have encountered (Swedish) snus have all decided that it would be a better idea to give their dollar vote to SM than any cigarette manufacturer.

Lös wrote:
I'm in the US, and for what it's worth, the two very "everyday smoker" friends of mine with whom I've shared snus, (a Military guy and a dairy farmer), have both quit smoking by using snus (Ettan lös and GLS respectively). And after 20 years of smoking, I'm coming up on my 6 month anniversary of effortlessly quitting 100%.

In other words, 100% of the three people who I know that have encountered (Swedish) snus have all decided that it would be a better idea to give their dollar vote to SM than any cigarette manufacturer.

Congrats on successfully quitting smoking via snus. A lot of snus advocates claim that it's a piece of cake to quit with snus. I am one of those that definitely sees quitting smoking as much more than an addiction to solely nicotine, thus I applaud you. I too have turned a very good friend of mine on to snus. He has been trying to quit off and on for a while. It seems that snus works way better for him than the lozenges, gum, and other crap he's been buying in order to curb his cravings. He hasn't quit completely, but he is "seeing the light" with snus. I think it would have been very interesting if the 60 minutes episode that featured snus didn't construct such a vague perception of the product. They made it out to seem that it's a product used by "dual users" and grouped all snus into the same category as the Camel and Marlboro category. I think if they would have focused on only on snus and its benefits, the US market could have greatly benefitted by some prime time publicity.

The only place I can find General snus so far is at GasAmerica stations. As yet, no tobacco shop carries it in my area (Indiana). I do enjoy General and hope it catches on. The last time I tried to get it at GasAmerica, it was sold out. A good sign I hope since it is a test market. Should they discontinue it, I will have to order online. But for now, I am loving General and enjoying being smoke free!

Odd...here in Indiana, we get it at GasAmerica but not at Speedway. And no tobacco store carries it as of yet here.

RWBonner, welcome to the forum.

The Speedway is an Ohio thing. If you are close to the border maybe you can grab some there. Of course if you can find it locally not much need for a road trip.