The British American Tobacco said will launch an “alternative to tobacco” product in the Philippines, the first country in Asia-Pacific to take advantage of the growing vape market.
BAT head of government regulatory affairs Robert Eugenio told reporters in a media roundtable the Philippines would become the first country in the Asia and Pacific region to avail of Vype E-pen, BAT’s e-cigarette brand, following successful launches in Europe and South America.
“It’s just a combination of business consideration, regulatory environment. It’s a combination of many factors,” Eugenio said.
Eugenio said there were no laws in the country regulating the market of e-cigarettes or vape industry.
BAT said Vype would be available in selected convenience stores in the country.
Vype E-pen is a vapor device with easy-to-change e-liquid caps with two power settings, delivering rich vapor at the click of a button.
The design also offers one-step charging micro USB cable, a battery life indicator and auto shutdown when the device is used for 10 minutes.
Eugenio said despite offering new product, BAT would not completely shift to e-cigarette products and leave their tobacco-combustion market.
“We, of course, are still focused on trying to grow our shares in combustible business. This is an additional part of our business but i wouldn’t call that a shift. We have seen that there is a growing market for e-cigarettes here. From a commercial stand point, we are hopeful that we will be able to drive our share of that emerging market,” Eugenio said.
BAT is the maker of Pall Mall and Lucky Strike cigarettes.