Dunhill maker British American Tobacco plans to sell its own tobacco heating device in August in the country, its local unit said Tuesday, joining the intense race for the burgeoning heated tobacco market.
BAT Korea opened a teaser website for its tobacco heating device, the Glo, on Monday, which will be available later this year.
Earlier this month, the company completed the expansion of its production facility in Sacheon, 437 kilometers southeast of Seoul, to produce non-burning tobacco sticks called Neostiks.
This image provided by British American Tobacco Korea shows its new tobacco heating product which will be released in the market in August 2017. (Yonhap)
Neostiks, specially designed for the Glo, are heated by the device to create a vapor with an experience similar to that of a cigarette, the company said.
BAT's Glo was first launched in Sendai, Japan in December last year. Its market share reached over 7 percent in the region within six months of its debut.
BAT's rival Philip Morris first launched a tobacco heated device, the IQOS, here, which was released nationwide early this month.
KT&G Corp., the country's leading tobacco manufacturer, is also planning to launch its heat-not-burn cigarette amid the growing popularity of smoke-and-ash free tobacco. (Yonhap)