Lorillard

Lorillard was the oldest continuously operating tobacco company in the United States until its acquisition in 2015. Founded in New York City in the colonial era, it grew into a major manufacturer of cigarettes, most notably the Newport brand. The company's long history was marked by significant innovation in product development and marketing, as well as by intense legal and regulatory battles that defined the modern tobacco industry.

History

The company was established in 1760 by French immigrant Pierre Lorillard in New York City, initially processing tobacco for snuff and pipe smoking. It operated from a facility along the Bronx River, later known as Lorillard Snuff Mill, which is considered one of the oldest existing tobacco manufacturing buildings in the nation. Throughout the 19th century, the firm expanded its product line under family leadership, embracing new forms like chewing tobacco and cigars. A pivotal moment came in 1912 when the company introduced Helmar Turkish cigarettes, signaling a shift toward the modern cigarette market. Following the death of Pierre Lorillard IV in 1919, the family sold the business, which eventually became a subsidiary of the American Tobacco Company after the Great Depression. Lorillard re-emerged as an independent entity in 2008 as part of a corporate spin-off from Loews Corporation, which had controlled it since a 1968 acquisition.

Products

Lorillard's portfolio was dominated by the menthol cigarette brand Newport, which it acquired in 1957 and built into the top-selling menthol cigarette in the United States, renowned for its "Alive with Pleasure!" advertising campaign. Other key cigarette brands included Kent, known for its early micronite filter, True, and Old Gold. In 2012, seeking growth beyond traditional cigarettes, Lorillard diversified by acquiring blu eCigs, a leading brand in the emerging electronic cigarette market. This move positioned the company in the vaping sector, though it also marketed smokeless tobacco products like Grand Prix chewing tobacco. The company's manufacturing and research operations were primarily centered in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Corporate affairs

At the time of its acquisition, Lorillard was a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol LO. Its final chairman and chief executive officer was Murray S. Kessler, a veteran of the Altria Group. The company's corporate headquarters were located in Greensboro, North Carolina, with major manufacturing facilities there and in Danville, Virginia. In a landmark industry consolidation announced in 2014, rival Reynolds American agreed to purchase Lorillard in a deal valued at approximately $27 billion, largely to acquire the lucrative Newport brand. To secure regulatory approval from the Federal Trade Commission, certain brands and the blu eCigs business were sold to Imperial Brands. The transaction was completed on June 12, 2015, ending Lorillard's 255-year run as an independent entity.

Controversies and litigation

Like all major tobacco firms, Lorillard was a defendant in decades of litigation concerning the health effects of smoking. It was a participating manufacturer in the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between 46 state attorneys general and the tobacco industry, which imposed significant marketing restrictions and ongoing financial payments. The company faced numerous individual and class-action lawsuits, including cases related to the use of asbestos in the micronite filter of Kent cigarettes in the 1950s. Lorillard also engaged in prolonged legal disputes over the marketing of its Newport brand, with critics and public health groups like the American Lung Association alleging it targeted youth and minority communities. The growth of its blu eCigs business further entangled the company in regulatory debates with the Food and Drug Administration over the oversight of electronic nicotine delivery systems.

See also

* Reynolds American * Altria Group * British American Tobacco * Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement * History of commercial tobacco in the United States

Category:Tobacco companies of the United States Category:Companies based in Greensboro, North Carolina Category:Companies established in 1760 Category:Companies disestablished in 2015