Thompson Cigar
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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1915 |
| Headquarters | 5401 Hangar Court. Tampa, FL 33634 |
| Number of locations | 2 |
| Products | Cigars & Cigar Accessories |
| Owner(s) | Robert Franzblau |
| Employees | 500 |
| Parent | Thompson Group |
| Website | http://www.thompsoncigar.com |
Thompson Cigar Company is a major cigar and cigar accessories retailer located in Tampa, Florida. Thompson Cigar is the oldest mail order cigar company in the United States.[1] Originally located in Key West, Florida, Thompson Cigar first opened in 1915. In 1920, Thompson Cigar made the decision to move its operations to Tampa, Florida, where they still hold Postal Permit #1.[2]
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[edit] Incorporation and growth
Robert Franzblau, the present owner of Thompson & Co. of Tampa, Inc, purchased Thompson Cigar in 1960. Expansion led Franzblau to permanently establish corporate headquarters at 5401 Hangar Court, Tampa, Florida 33634. Today, Thompson Cigar runs the single largest inventory storage humidor in the United States, totaling over 300,000 cubic feet (8,500 m3). [2]
[edit] Recent initiatives
Thompson Cigar recently announced the donation of over 300,000 cigars to American troops since 2002.[1] Troops who received cigars include those in combat areas of Afghanistan and Iraq, plus Korea, the Horn of Africa and three Navy aircraft carrier battle groups.[3]
In January 2009, Thompson Cigar took another initiative to expand their online business. Doing so incorporated Fry, “a multi-site e-commerce solution for The Thompson Group’s Brands.” Fry is an “e-commerce solution that provides retailers with a feature-rich, scalable online store. As with all sites on the Fry OCP platform, The Thompson Group sites feature robust content management and flexible promotional tools, targeted merchandising capability and refined search.”[4]
[edit] Operating divisions
Thompson Cigar is affiliated with Thompson Group, which was listed #73 on the 2004 Catalog Age top 100 list. Thompson Group is a multi-channel merchant that includes Thompson Cigar, Casual Living USA (sold 2010), and Linen Source (sold 2010.[5] The company does business in seven different catalog and online formats: tobacco, general merchandise, membership cigar club, women's apparel, plus size women's apparel, furniture and textiles. Sharing a 192,000-square-foot (17,800 m2) warehouse, Thompson Group ships an average of 2.5 million packages a year.[6]
[edit] Customer base
Thompson Cigar has over 600,000 active customers nationwide. On average 167,800 people visit their website monthly. Thompson Cigar caters to a 69%, more affluent, male demographic.[7]
[edit] Thompson Group stores
Thompson Group owns two outlet stores located in Tampa, Florida. Located at their headquarters resides the cigar outlet open to the public six days a week. Located at their media center, Knollwood, is their textiles and apparel outlet store.[8]
[edit] Governance
Thompson Group is governed privately by owner Robert Franzblau as well as third party senior advisors. Upper management includes Steve Cobden, Chief Marketing Officer and Frank Hill, Chief Financial Officer.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Thompson Cigar Announces Donation of Over 300,000 Cigars to American Troops. Published by Forbes.com on May 21, 2008. Accessed on June 3, 2008.
- ^ a b The Thompson Group. Employee Handbook. Brochure. Tampa: Author, 2006. Published by Thompson & Co. of Tampa, Inc on May 18, 2006. Accessed on June 2, 2009.
- ^ Our Troops Online. Accessed on June 3, 2008.
- ^ Staff, Writer. "Fry, Inc. Launches New E-Commerce Sites for The Thompson Group." 13 May 2009. Ann Arbor Biz News. Ann Arbor, MI. 3 June 2009<http://www.annarborbiznews.com/2009/05/13/fry-inc-launches-new-e-commerce-sites-for-the-thompson-group
- ^ Staff, Writer. "Fry, Inc. Launches New E-Commerce Sites for The Thompson Group." 13 May 2009. Ann Arbor Biz News. Ann Arbor, MI. 3 June 2009 <http://www.annarborbiznews.com/2009/05/13/fry-inc-launches-new-e-commerce-sites- for-the-thompson-group
- ^ Catalog Age 2004 Top 100 List. Published by Multichannel Merchant. Accessed on June 3, 2008.
- ^ Quantcast Published by Quantcast. Accessed on June 3, 2009]
- ^ Thompson Group website. Accessed on June 2, 2009.
