April 26, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR]KT&G's new e-cigarette lil plus is showing strong early sales and may draw in customers who have used rival products that are due for updates, industry sources said on June 27.

Lil plus is estimated to have sold 150,000 units within the first month of its launch on May 23. This is about triple the one-month sales tally of the lil, its predecessor, after its release in November last year. Officials predicted that the newer product will outdo the prior model’s 200,000 sales over 100 days.

Lil can be used multiple times on a single full charge. The plus version has a lighter weight and upgraded system for heating and cleaning.

The heat-not-burn cigarette market is presently dominated by iQOS from Philip Morris, which sold 1.9 million units after its market debut in June last year. 

By nature of the product, e-cigarettes commonly need to be replaced every year. Industry officials say iQOS customers may well switch to the lil plus when making the change.

By Song Seung-hyun and newswires (ssh@heraldcorp.com)