Thompson Cigar
Encyclopedia
Thompson Cigar Company is a major cigar
and cigar accessories retailer located in Tampa, Florida
. Thompson Cigar is the oldest mail order
cigar company in the United States. Originally located in Key West, Florida
, Thompson Cigar first opened in 1915. In 1920, Thompson Cigar made the decision to move its operations to Tampa, Florida, where they still hold Postal Permit #1.
at 5401 Hangar Court, Tampa, Florida 33634. Today, Thompson Cigar runs the single largest inventory
storage humidor
in the United States
, totaling over 300000 cubic feet (8,495.1 m³).
of over 300,000 cigars to American troops since 2002. Troops who received cigars include those in combat
areas of Afghanistan
and Iraq
, plus Korea
, the Horn of Africa
and three Navy
aircraft
carrier battle groups.
In January 2009, Thompson Cigar took another initiative to expand their online
business. Doing so incorporated Fry, “a multi-site e-commerce solution for The Thompson Group’s Brands.” Fry is an “e-commerce solution that provides retailers with a feature-rich, scalable online store. As with all sites on the Fry OCP platform, The Thompson Group sites feature robust content management and flexible promotional
tools, targeted merchandising
capability and refined search.”
, general merchandise, membership cigar club, women's apparel, plus size women's apparel, furniture
and textiles. Sharing a 192000 square feet (17,837.4 m²) warehouse
, Thompson Group ships an average of 2.5 million packages a year.
monthly. Thompson Cigar caters to a 69%, more affluent, male demographic.
includes Steve Cobden, Chief Marketing Officer
and Frank Hill, Chief Financial Officer
.
Cigar
A cigar is a tightly-rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, and the Eastern...
and cigar accessories retailer located in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
. Thompson Cigar is the oldest mail order
Mail order
Mail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote method such as through a telephone call or web site. Then, the products are delivered to the customer...
cigar company in the United States. Originally located in Key West, Florida
Key West, Florida
Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
, Thompson Cigar first opened in 1915. In 1920, Thompson Cigar made the decision to move its operations to Tampa, Florida, where they still hold Postal Permit #1.
Incorporation and growth
Robert Franzblau, the present owner of Thompson & Co. of Tampa, Inc, purchased Thompson Cigar in 1960. Expansion led Franzblau to permanently establish corporate headquartersCorporate headquarters
Corporate headquarters is a term used to describe the entity at the top of a corporation to take full responsibility for the overall success of the corporation, ensures Corporate Governance...
at 5401 Hangar Court, Tampa, Florida 33634. Today, Thompson Cigar runs the single largest inventory
Inventory
Inventory means a list compiled for some formal purpose, such as the details of an estate going to probate, or the contents of a house let furnished. This remains the prime meaning in British English...
storage humidor
Humidor
A humidor is any kind of box or room with constant humidity, and ideal temperature, used to store cigars, cigarettes, or pipe tobacco. For private use, small wooden or acrylic glass humidor boxes for a few dozen cigars are used, while cigar shops may have walk-in humidors, sometimes consisting of a...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, totaling over 300000 cubic feet (8,495.1 m³).
Recent initiatives
Thompson Cigar recently announced the donationDonation
A donation is a gift given by physical or legal persons, typically for charitable purposes and/or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including cash, services, new or used goods including clothing, toys, food, and vehicles...
of over 300,000 cigars to American troops since 2002. Troops who received cigars include those in combat
Combat
Combat, or fighting, is a purposeful violent conflict meant to establish dominance over the opposition, or to terminate the opposition forever, or drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed....
areas of Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, plus Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, the Horn of Africa
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...
and three Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
carrier battle groups.
In January 2009, Thompson Cigar took another initiative to expand their online
ONLINE
ONLINE is a magazine for information systems first published in 1977. The publisher Online, Inc. was founded the year before. In May 2002, Information Today, Inc. acquired the assets of Online Inc....
business. Doing so incorporated Fry, “a multi-site e-commerce solution for The Thompson Group’s Brands.” Fry is an “e-commerce solution that provides retailers with a feature-rich, scalable online store. As with all sites on the Fry OCP platform, The Thompson Group sites feature robust content management and flexible promotional
Promotion (marketing)
Promotion is one of the four elements of marketing mix . It is the communication link between sellers and buyers for the purpose of influencing, informing, or persuading a potential buyer's purchasing decision....
tools, targeted merchandising
Merchandising
Merchandising is the methods, practices, and operations used to promote and sustain certain categories of commercial activity. In the broadest sense, merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of products to a retail consumer...
capability and refined search.”
Operating divisions
Thompson Cigar is affiliated with Thompson Group, which was listed #73 on the 2004 Catalog Age top 100 list. Thompson Group is a multi-channel merchant that includes Thompson Cigar, Casual Living USA, and Linen Source. The company does business in seven different catalog and online formats: tobaccoTobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, general merchandise, membership cigar club, women's apparel, plus size women's apparel, furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
and textiles. Sharing a 192000 square feet (17,837.4 m²) warehouse
Warehouse
A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...
, Thompson Group ships an average of 2.5 million packages a year.
Customer base
Thompson Cigar has over 600,000 active customers nationwide. On average 167,800 people visit their websiteWebsite
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
monthly. Thompson Cigar caters to a 69%, more affluent, male demographic.
Thompson Group stores
Thompson Group owns two outlet stores located in Tampa, Florida. Located at their headquarters resides the cigar outlet open to the public six days a week. Located at their media center, Knollwood, is their textiles and apparel outlet store.Governance
Thompson Group is governed privately by owner Robert Franzblau as well as third party senior advisors. Upper managementManagement
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
includes Steve Cobden, Chief Marketing Officer
Chief marketing officer
Chief Marketing Officer is a corporate title referring to an executive responsible for various marketing activities in an organization...
and Frank Hill, Chief Financial Officer
Chief financial officer
The chief financial officer or Chief financial and operating officer is a corporate officer primarily responsible for managing the financial risks of the corporation. This officer is also responsible for financial planning and record-keeping, as well as financial reporting to higher management...
.