February/ March 2000 Merchandise Report: Gimme That Shelf Space... Back! by Rich Perlman The premium cigar industry survived a wild ride in the final years of the passing century. For the year 2000, expect the evolution of brand dominance to continue its agglomeration into the hands of fewer - but stronger - players. Cigar Production: Connecticut's World Class Leaf by Bob Ashley While the hand rolling of cigars moved offshore long ago, the labor-intensive practice of growing Connecticut-shade wrapper prevails at The Brown Farm, one of Connecticut's pioneer producers of the region's famed cigar leaf. Cigar Production: The Next Big Name in Wrappers? by Bob Ashley The Habana 2000 cigar wrapper has slowly crept into humidors over the past year, shrouded by a good dose of mystery and confusion. Is it a plant? Or is it a brand name? The answer is... Retailer and Tobacco Industry News SMOKESHOP's Retail and Industry news department, bringing you up-to-date information and breaking stories about manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers. Hoja's Universal Cigar, Tony Borhani Cigars in Alliance Nick's Named Official Cigar Maker of AmericanAirlines Arena Swedish Match Buys Controlling Stake in General Cigar; Cullmans Remain at Helm International Tobacco Expo Prepares for the Millennium Swedish Match, Gum Tech in Venture Cigar Savor Moves to Consolidated HQ Rocky Year for Grand Havana Paradigm Granted Patent, Trademark Tampa Selected for 2001 RTDA Show Gifts and Accessories for Cigar, Pipe, and Cigarette Smokers Banning One's Livelyhood... by E. Edward Hoyt III What's Happening and Where in the Tobacco Industry Legislation, Regulations, and Initiatives 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., 26 Broadway, Floor 9M, New York, NY 10004 USA. Copyright © 1998 by Lockwood Trade Journal Co. Inc. HTML production and copyright © 1999 by Keys Technologies. All rights reserved.