If you opened up the latest JR Cigars catalog, you probably noticed something is different. If you went on jrcigars.com, you probably noticed something is different. If you work for JR Cigars, you definitely notice—something is different. Earlier this year, Rob Norris, the former national sales and trade director for Altadis USA—which owns the cigar retailer—was appointed ceo of JR Cigars. It was a move made to shake things up at the New Jersey-based retailer. Now, 10 months in, you almost wonder what Norris possibly has left to change. JR Cigars is unique. It’s a division of Altadis USA—the company responsible for producing and selling lines like Montecristo and Romeo y Julieta in the U.S.—which in turned is owned by the tobacco conglomerate Imperial Tobacco. In 1971, Lew Rothman opened up a small cigar store in Manhattan. As the story goes, it had a sign that read “World’s Largest Cigar Store.” Back then, Rothman may have very easily been one of the smaller cigar stores on his own street, today, JR Cigars can at least lay claim in one way or another to that slogan being accurate. If there are legends in cigar retailing, Rothman probably stands above all ...
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