Juul Revenues Surge to $1 Billion: Altria

Altria Group, the makers of Marlboro and a significant stakeholder in e-cigarette producer Juul Labs, announced that Juul made more than $1 billion in revenue last year. According to Reuters, the e-cigarette’s first official growth numbers were up from about $200 million in 2017. Juuls have become a subject of recent controversy, as the Food and Drug Administration has sought to curb the sales of its flavored vapor pods—like mango and cucumber—that attract minors to the nicotine alternative. The company has since stopped promoting their product on American social media channels. Altria reportedly stated Thursday that the restrictions on flavored pods may “impact the overall growth rate” in 2019, but the company also projected that “U.S. e-vapor volume” would expand at an annual rate of 15 to 20 percent through 2023. Altria reportedly paid $12.8 billion to acquire a 35 percent stake in the e-cigarette maker at the end of last year.