April 1999 Volume 26 Number 2 Shop Talk: Fine Grade Tobaccos... and More by Jim Lawson In the heart of America's cigar country, F.G.T. Enterprises puts quality pipe tobaccos on center stage. Cigar Report: Machine Made Cigars by Bob Ashley Price resistance for quality, everyday smoke has made these as popular as ever. But "popular-priced" need not mean "lower-quality," as you'll discover in this investigation. Major Manufacturers: Seita: Consolidated Cigar's French Connection by Jonathan Bell, European Editor Few American retailers know much about France's Seita, but its influence will certainly be felt in time as the new owner of Consolidated Cigar. Trade Show Preview: RTDA Annual Convention and Trade Show Truly a buying show, this four-day event provides retail tobacco shops with an unparalleled opportunity to view and purchase a wide selection of premium tobacco products. Retailer and Tobacco Industry News SMOKESHOP's general news department. bringing you up-to-date information and breaking stories about manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers. General Sells Mass Market Business to Swedish Match Caribbean Cigar Ceases Operations Feds Recommend Health Warnings on Cigars Gary Scott Wins Cigar Jar Suit Phillips & King Files for Bankruptcy Protection New Hampshire Retailers Fend Off Tobacco Tax Bad Hurricane Season Predicted RJR Nabisco Announces Sale of its International Tobacco Business Premium Cigar Imports Fall 29.6% in 1998 Winston "No Additives" Ads Deemed Deceptive by FTC Starr, Clinton, Lewinsky...Hacker? British Royals Pull Tobacco Seal La Perla Habana Debuts Dealer Incentives Program for Retailers Gifts and Accessories for Cigar, Pipe, and Cigarette Smokers Fighting Mad, Fighting Back by E. Edward Hoyt III What's Happening and Where in the Tobacco Industry Equipment and Services for Effective Retailing Products and News from the Pipe World Tobacco Products and Industry Promotions SMOKESHOP (ISSN 0146-9266), established in 1970, is published bi-monthly by Lockwood Trade Journal Co., Inc., 130 West 42nd Street, Suite 1050, New York, NY 10036 USA. Copyright © 1998 by Lockwood Trade Journal Co. Inc. HTML production and copyright © 1999 by Keys Technologies. All rights reserved.