Cigars International Plans Pittsburgh Area Store

Cigars International, whose headquarters and roots are in eastern Pennsylvania, is heading across the state for the company’s newest Superstore location.

Specifically, it will be in South Fayette Township, a small suburb located about 10 miles southwest of Pittsburgh. The company has purchased land in Newbury Market, located approximately 10 miles from the Pittsburgh International Airport.

Sarah Santos, president of Cigars International, told halfwheel that the company plans on opening the store in the second half of 2024. Santos said the new store would be similar to the company’s recent Superstore locations in Texas and Florida, meaning it will have a large walk-in humidor, an expansive bar and patio.

Last year, Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG)—the parent company of Cigars International—announced that it planned to add 6-8 new stores by 2025. South Fayette would be the fourth new location since that announcement was made, following openings in Conroe and Katy, Texas—both in the Houston area—and a planned store in Jacksonville that is now slated to open in late 2024.

The full list of Cigars International stores is as follows:

• Jacksonville, Fla.*
• Lutz, Fla.
• Tampa, Fla.
• Bethlehem, Pa.
• Bethlehem, Pa. (Downtown)
• Hamburg, Pa.
• South Fayette, Pa.*
• The Colony, Texas
• Conroe, Texas
• Fort Worth, Texas
• Katy, Texas
• San Antonio, Texas

*Not yet open.

Of note, the Downtown Bethlehem location is different than the other stores. It’s a smaller store that is set up like a traditional cigar shop and does not include a bar or patio.

Cigars International is the world’s largest retailer of cigars and is part of a massive omnichannel retail operation owned by STG. In addition to Cigars International—which is best known for its online and catalog business—STG also owns Thompson Cigar, Cigar Bid, Cigar.com, Pipes and Cigars, and Club Macanudo. It also owns General Cigar Co. and Forged Cigar Co., which sell Cohiba, La Gloria Cubana, Partagas and other brands in the U.S. In both the U.S. and international markets, STG sells Agio, Alec Bradley, CAO, Macanudo, Room101 and Toraño—all of which are owned by the company.

These physical retail stores have become an increasingly valuable part of STG’s business. Last month, STG announced its Q3 2023 results and indicated that nearly 8 percent of the company’s sales came from “growth enablers,” which includes retail stores, Next Generation Products “NGP” and international sales of handmade cigars.

The company previously said that these new retail locations cost $4-7 million to open. A report indicated that STG paid $1.39 million for the land and said the store would be approximately 8,000-square-feet. Construction has not yet started.