Casa de Montecristo—the brick and mortar retail chain from Imperial Brands, plc—is expanding its footprint, both east and west.

The company has purchased Prime Cigar & Wine Bar in Boca Rotan, Fla. The store will be renamed Casa de Montecristo by Prime Cigar. 

If the name sounds familiar, it’s because it is, there is also Casa de Montecristo by Prime Cigar & Whiskey Bar, a Miami-based store that is owned by the same group behind the store in Boca Rotan. However, that store will remain independently operated by its current owners.

In addition, the company has announced that it has signed a licensing agreement with Phoenix-based Churchill’s Fine Cigars. The company’s stores in Phoenix as well as Glendale and Tempe will be renamed to include the Casa de Montecristo branding, however they have not been sold and remain under the ownership of Bart Gerber.

“This strategic acquisition in Florida and naming rights agreement in Arizona continue to catapult us to our overall mission to be the premium cigar lounge destination, delivering the highest quality selection, service and experiences for all adult cigar smokers,” said Steve Lochan, ceo of Casa de Montecristo, in a press release.

This puts the total number of Casa de Montecristo and JR Cigar locations at 26, with 17 owned by Imperial/Tabacalera USA and 9 franchises.

  • Austin, Texas — Casa de Montecristo
  • Boca Raton, Fla. — Casa de Montecristo by Prime Cigar
  • Boynton Beach, Fla.*— Casa de Montecristo
  • Burlington, N.C. — JR Cigar
  • Countryside, Ill.* — Casa de Montecristo
  • Dallas, Texas — Casa de Montecristo
  • Detroit, Mich. — JR Cigar
  • Glendale, Ariz.* — Casa de Montecristo by Churchill’s Fine Cigars
  • Houston, Texas — Casa de Montecristo by Serious Cigars (Champions)
  • Houston, Texas —Casa de Montecristo by Serious Cigars (Galleria)
  • Houston, Texas —Casa de Montecristo by Serious Cigars (JFK)
  • Houston, Texas —Casa de Montecristo by Serious Cigars (Webster)
  • Las Vegas, Nev.* — Casa de Montecristo
  • Miami, Fla.* — Casa de Montecristo by Prime Cigar & Whiskey Bar
  • Mooresville, N.C. — Casa de Montecristo by JR Cigar
  • Nashville, Tenn. — Casa de Montecristo
  • New York, N.Y. — Casa de Montecristo by Cigar Inn (2nd Ave.)
  • New York, N.Y. — Casa de Montecristo by Cigar Inn (73rd Street)
  • Paramus, N.J. — JR Cigar
  • Phoenix, Ariz.* — Casa de Montecristo by Churchill’s Fine Cigars
  • Phoenix, Ariz.* — Casa de Montecristo by Churchill’s Fine Cigars
  • Selma, N.C. — JR Cigar
  • Tampa, Fla.* (to be opened) — Casa de Montecristo
  • Tempe, Ariz.* — Casa de Montecristo by Churchill’s Fine Cigars
  • Washington D.C. — Casa de Montecristo by JR Cigar
  • Whippany, N.J. — JR Cigar

*Denotes franchise store not owned by Imperial Brands/Tabacalera USA.

Imperial Brands, plc is a British tobacco conglomerate that owns a variety of cigar-related businesses including the world’s largest cigar factory, 50 percent stake in Habanos S.A., minority stakes in a plethora of Cuban cigar distributors and Altadis U.S.A, which markets brands like Montecristo and Romeo y Julieta in the U.S.

Patrick Lagreid contributed to this story.

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Charlie Minato

I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I have written about the cigar industry for more than a decade, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. In addition, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff here at halfwheel. I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.