Key Points
- Value Cigarette Focus: JTI Liggett highlighted LD, Montego and other value-priced cigarette brands at the 2026 NACS Show, emphasizing retail sales and its super-value portfolio.
- U.S. Expansion: JT Group's 2024 acquisition of Vector Group strengthened its presence in the U.S. cigarette market, particularly in the super-value segment.
- Market Performance: LD's U.S. sales volume rose 32.6% year on year in the first half of 2026, while JT Group's estimated share of the U.S. combustible tobacco market reached 8.6%.
- Ploom Partnership: JT Group's Ploom heated tobacco system appeared at Altria's booth under an existing U.S. joint venture, with FDA regulatory review ongoing.
- Nicotine Pouch Status: JTI Liggett booth staff told 2Firsts that the company had not yet launched nicotine pouch products in the United States.
2Firsts
Las Vegas, October 8, 2026
Japan Tobacco Group's (JT Group) U.S. business, JTI Liggett, highlighted its value-priced cigarette portfolio at the 2026 NACS Show in Las Vegas, placing brands such as LD and Montego at the center of its presentation to convenience retailers.
Prominent displays carried the slogans “America's #1 Super Value Portfolio” and “Value That Drives Volume,” reflecting the company's emphasis on lower-priced cigarettes and retail sales.
JTI Liggett booth staff also told 2Firsts that the company had not yet launched nicotine pouch products in the United States.
The NACS Show, a major annual gathering for the convenience and fuel retailing industry, is taking place at the Las Vegas Convention Center from October 6 to 9, with the exhibition running from October 7 to 9.
JTI Liggett Showcases Its Value Cigarette Portfolio
At the booth, 2Firsts observed that JTI Liggett relied on digital screens, promotional displays and oversized cigarette pack replicas rather than physical product samples.
The displays featured cigarette brands including LD, Montego, Eagle 20's, Pyramid, Liggett, Wave, Wings and Export 'A'. Logic, JTI's e-cigarette brand, also appeared on a digital portfolio display.
The selection brought together brands from JTI's existing U.S. operations and the former Vector Group cigarette business, which JT Group acquired in 2024.
Marketing messages throughout the booth emphasized value and sales volume. One installation carried the slogan “America's #1 Super Value Portfolio,” while another featured LD alongside “Value That Drives Volume.”
The rankings were company advertising claims and have not been independently verified by 2Firsts.
LD received particular attention, with large packaging replicas and digital advertisements built around the brand's “Make It Count” campaign.
The company also promoted its LD Rewards program, with messages including “Tastes Even Better With Rewards” and “Join & Earn Rewards.”
Vector Acquisition Expands JTI's U.S. Cigarette Business
JTI Liggett's presentation comes two years after JT Group expanded its U.S. cigarette business through the acquisition of Vector Group.
On October 7, 2024, JT Group completed its acquisition of Vector Group for approximately $2.4 billion in equity consideration.
The transaction brought Liggett's cigarette operations and brands into JT Group, expanding its U.S. distribution network and strengthening its position in the value-priced segment.
According to JTI Liggett's U.S. website, its brands are present in more than 160,000 retail stores nationwide. The company describes itself as the fourth-largest cigarette manufacturer in the United States, with more than 8% market share, and the leading manufacturer in the super-value segment.
The super-value segment has grown as a proportion of U.S. cigarette sales in recent years.
In a 2025 investor presentation, JT Group reported that the segment's share of the U.S. cigarette market rose from 13% in the fourth quarter of 2021 to 19% in the fourth quarter of 2024.
JT Group's more recent financial results also show gains for its U.S. business.
According to the group's first-half 2026 earnings report, LD sales volume in the United States increased 32.6% year on year.
JT Group's total U.S. cigarette volume rose 0.7% over the same period, despite an estimated decline in overall U.S. cigarette industry volume. Its share of the U.S. combustible tobacco market increased by 0.2 percentage points to 8.6%, according to company estimates.
The figures help explain the prominence of LD and other value-priced brands at this year's NACS Show, where much of JTI Liggett's advertising focused on sales volume and value for retailers.
Ploom Appears at Altria Booth Under Existing Partnership
While JTI Liggett concentrated on its cigarette portfolio, JT Group's heated tobacco brand Ploom was displayed separately at Altria's booth, according to 2Firsts' observations at the show.
The two companies have an existing agreement covering heated tobacco products in the United States.
In October 2022, JT Group and Altria established Horizon Innovations, a joint venture for the U.S. marketing and commercialization of heated tobacco stick products.
Under the arrangement, Altria subsidiary Philip Morris USA holds a 75% economic interest, while JTI holds 25%. JTI supplies Ploom heated tobacco devices, and Philip Morris USA is responsible for manufacturing Marlboro-branded heated tobacco sticks for the U.S. market.
According to Altria's official heated tobacco business update, Horizon submitted a combined Premarket Tobacco Product Application (PMTA) and Modified Risk Tobacco Product Application (MRTPA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in August 2025 for the Ploom system and Marlboro heated tobacco sticks.
Altria states that the products have not yet been commercialized in the United States. Submission of the applications does not constitute FDA marketing authorization.
No U.S. Nicotine Pouch Launch Yet, Booth Staff Say
JT Group also operates in the nicotine pouch category internationally through Nordic Spirit, which is marketed in the United Kingdom and other markets.
However, nicotine pouches were not among the products displayed at the JTI Liggett booth.
When asked by 2Firsts about the category, JTI Liggett booth staff said the company had not yet launched nicotine pouch products in the U.S. market.
The staff did not provide details of any future U.S. launch plans during the exchange.
At the 2026 NACS Show, JTI Liggett's presentation remained centered on its U.S. cigarette business, particularly the value-priced brands that have contributed to its recent market share gains.
2Firsts will continue reporting from the NACS Show on tobacco and nicotine products, retail developments and regulatory issues in the U.S. market.
Cover image：JTI Liggett's booth at the 2026 NACS Show in Las Vegas features large digital displays and oversized cigarette packaging replicas. (Photo: 2Firsts)
