Reynolds American said it plans to add 300 jobs to its North Carolina operation in 2025, driven mainly by the expansion of its smokeless nicotine product portfolio, reported Tobacco Reporter.

“Reynolds American Senior Corporate Communications Manager Emily Weeks confirmed to [news outlet] WFMY that the expansion is to accommodate for Velo Plus, the company's brand of smokeless nicotine pouches,” wrote News 2.

Reynolds reportedly began production of its Velo Plus oral smokeless nicotine pouch last fall in its Reynolds Operations Center in Tobaccoville, North Carolina, a community straddling the Forsyth-Stokes County line north of Winston-Salem.

The jobs added will be a mix of local manufacturing and national trade marketing roles, according to Borgia Walker, senior vice president of human resources and inclusion.

“The Reynolds facility in Tobaccoville opened in the fall of 2024. The company said they hired for over 500 jobs last year, the majority of which were ‘directly related to our expanding smokeless portfolio ... and aligning our sales force to be even more competitive in the market,’” wrote News 2.

The Tobaccoville facility is the BAT Group’s largest worldwide at two million square feet and is capable of multi-category manufacturing, according to Tobacco Reporter.

In the January 2025 issue of NACS Magazine, “Seeing Through the Smoke” explored how the nicotine category as a whole has changed, especially in the past year. Data from Management Science Associates (MSA) paints the picture of a meaningful shift: Between 2023 and 2024, non-tobacco products (vapor and modern oral) grew from 12.7% to 17.6% of all nicotine sales.

“A certain percentage of consumers who want nicotine are looking for alternative products that don’t contain tobacco,” said MSA Senior Vice President Don Burke. “Meaning there will likely continue to be a market for nicotine, regardless of what may happen with tobacco.”

Continue reading “Seeing Through the Smoke.”

Learn how the nicotine category performed in 2024 at the NACS State of the Industry Summit in Dallas April 8-10.