Serious Cigars LLC, a Houston-based cigar retailer, was acquired by Tabacalera USA, the U.S.-based cigar operations of British tobacco company Imperial Brands PLC.
Ron and JeanneMarie Lesseraux founded Serious Cigars as a small online retail business in 1996. They opened their first location near Willowbrook Mall in December 2003 and have since opened three other locations in the Galleria area, near George Bush Intercontinental Airport and in Webster.
The Lesserauxes will remain with the company to help with the transition, and no major changes are expected for Serious Cigars’ stores or website, according to a Nov. 2 press release.
Concurrently, Tabacalera is creating a new business unit called Casa de Montecristo Inc., which will support company-owned and licensed-based retail partnerships. Rob Maneson, previously a vice president with a Tabacalera affiliate in New Jersey, was appointed general manager of the new division.
“Casa de Montecristo includes company-owned stores and licensed-based partnerships and includes such top established premium cigar retailers in the country as Casa de Montecristo Chicago; Casa de Montecristo by Smoke Inn, based in Boynton Beach, Florida; and Prime Cigar by Casa de Montecristo, based in Miami,” Maneson said in the press release. “The creation of this new business unit under the Tabacalera USA umbrella will help coordinate and enhance the adult premium cigar smoker experience in all Casa de Montecristo stores.”
Other businesses operating under the Tabacalera umbrella include Altadis USA and JR Cigar.
Imperial Brands previously was known as Imperial Tobacco Group PLC for 115 years before announcing its name change late last year.
Elsewhere in Houston, Davidoff of Geneva's first Houston location, a high-end cigar store in the River Oaks District, opened in May. The 2,000-square-foot store includes a humidor, retail space and smoker's lounge.
Also, the members-only Oakwood Social Club, which will offer cigars, is planned for the River Oaks area, just a couple of blocks from the former site of an Upper Kirby bar for cigar fans that shut its doors in early 2014.
The Marque Houston, a members-only establishment in CityCentre known for its cigar lounge, closed in March.
Olivia Pulsinelli is the senior web editor for the Houston Business Journal's award-winning website. Follow her on Twitter for more.
Resource: www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2016/11/02/houston-based-cigar-retailer-acquired-by-longtime.html
Ron and JeanneMarie Lesseraux founded Serious Cigars as a small online retail business in 1996. They opened their first location near Willowbrook Mall in December 2003 and have since opened three other locations in the Galleria area, near George Bush Intercontinental Airport and in Webster.
Concurrently, Tabacalera is creating a new business unit called Casa de Montecristo Inc., which will support company-owned and licensed-based retail partnerships. Rob Maneson, previously a vice president with a Tabacalera affiliate in New Jersey, was appointed general manager of the new division.
“Casa de Montecristo includes company-owned stores and licensed-based partnerships and includes such top established premium cigar retailers in the country as Casa de Montecristo Chicago; Casa de Montecristo by Smoke Inn, based in Boynton Beach, Florida; and Prime Cigar by Casa de Montecristo, based in Miami,” Maneson said in the press release. “The creation of this new business unit under the Tabacalera USA umbrella will help coordinate and enhance the adult premium cigar smoker experience in all Casa de Montecristo stores.”
Other businesses operating under the Tabacalera umbrella include Altadis USA and JR Cigar.
Imperial Brands previously was known as Imperial Tobacco Group PLC for 115 years before announcing its name change late last year.
Elsewhere in Houston, Davidoff of Geneva's first Houston location, a high-end cigar store in the River Oaks District, opened in May. The 2,000-square-foot store includes a humidor, retail space and smoker's lounge.
Also, the members-only Oakwood Social Club, which will offer cigars, is planned for the River Oaks area, just a couple of blocks from the former site of an Upper Kirby bar for cigar fans that shut its doors in early 2014.
The Marque Houston, a members-only establishment in CityCentre known for its cigar lounge, closed in March.
Olivia Pulsinelli is the senior web editor for the Houston Business Journal's award-winning website. Follow her on Twitter for more.
Resource: www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2016/11/02/houston-based-cigar-retailer-acquired-by-longtime.html
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