Tabacalera USA has appointed Steven Lochan as the new head of the 11 Casa de Montecristo retail stores.

Lochan previously served as the vp of operations strategy and execution for Toys “R” Us. Prior to that he worked for both FAO Schwarz and Sports Authority.

“Steve, along with the Casa de Montecristo team, will lead the exciting expansion plan and development of the Casa de Montecristo retail stores,” said Javier Estades, head of Tabacalera USA.

Tabacalera USA is the U.S. premium cigar division of Imperial Brands, plc. It includes Casa de Montecristo, JR Cigar and Altadis U.S.A., the cigar company that sells the Montecristo and Romeo y Julieta brands in the U.S.

There are a total of 21 stores between Casa de Montecristo, JR Cigar and Serious Cigars, which Imperial acquired last year:

  • Austin, Texas — Casa de Montecristo
  • 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
  • Houston, Texas — Serious Cigars (Champions)
  • Houston, Texas — Serious Cigars (Galleria)
  • Houston, Texas — Serious Cigars (JFK)
  • Houston, Texas — Serious Cigars (Webster)
  • Las Vegas, Nev.* — Casa de Montecristo
  • Miami, Fla.* — Casa de Montecristo
  • Mooresville, N.C. — Casa de Montecristo by JR Cigar
  • Nashville, Tenn. — Casa de Montecristo (to be opened)
  • 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
  • Selma, N.C. — JR Cigar
  • Tampa, Fla.* (to be opened) — Casa de Montecristo
  • Washington D.C. — Casa de Montecristo by JR Cigar
  • Whippany, N.J. — JR Cigar

*Denotes franchise store not owned by Tabacalera USA.

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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.