V2 is a brand of

electronic cigarette An electronic cigarette (e-cigarette), or vape, is a device that simulates smoking. It consists of an atomizer, a power source such as a battery, and a container such as a cartridge or tank. Instead of smoke, the user inhales vapor. As such ...

s, currently produced by British manufacturer V2 Cigs UK also under the brand name Vsavi. The V2 brand started in 2010 by American company VMR Products, and it became one of the largest independent domestic e-cigarette vendors for a number of years. The company was sold to

Juul Labs Juul Labs, Inc. (, stylized as JUUL Labs) is an American electronic cigarette company headquartered in San Francisco. Its flagship product is the Juul electronic cigarette, which atomizes nicotine salts derived from tobacco supplied by one-t ...

in 2018 and closed down, after which its British distributor revived and has since continued to market V2.

History

Foundation and growth

VMR Products was founded in 2009 by Jan Andries Verleur and Dan Recio in

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, United States. According to Recio, the term "V2" means "Your life, Version 2.0". The company began selling their V2 electronic cigarette on V2cigs.com beginning June 7, 2010. Within a year, company revenue hit $19 million. Operations were split between Miami,

Shenzhen Shenzhen is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A Special economic zones of China, special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River (China), Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong ...

and a distribution center in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, Czech Republic. V2 claimed to have been the "world's largest online retailer of e-cigarettes" since 2011. While its sales were predominantly online, it started expanding to brick and mortar stores and gas stations. As of 2013, the company was expected to make $80 million in net sales, up from $50 million in 2012. However, the market leader at the time was

Lorillard Lorillard Tobacco Company was an American tobacco company that marketed cigarettes under the brand names Newport, Maverick, Old Gold, Kent, True, Satin, and Max. The company had two operating segments: cigarettes and electronic cigarettes. Th ...

-owned Blu, while start-up

NJOY NJOY, LLC is an American company that manufactures and distributes electronic cigarettes and vaping products. The company has been under wholly ownership of Altria Group since 2023. History NJOY, founded in 2007, was one of the first major e- ...

was another rising competitor. The company also launched a sister brand, Vapor Couture, targeted at women. It launched first in Europe in 2012. It was later rolled out in America with various colors like "Rose Gold," and flavors meant to appeal to women such as "Bombshell" and "Strawberry Champagne". In July 2014, ''

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'' referred to the company as "the market leader in online sales of e-cigs". A February 2015 article in ''

The Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'' claimed the company was the "largest online seller of e-cigarettes in the world". As of that year, V2 products were also available in at least 40,000 U.S. physical stores.

Sales and closure of VMR

From December 2014, V2 Cigs started rebranding products to Vapour2 in Europe. In December 2015, China-based Huaobao International Holdings purchased a controlling 51% stake in VMR Products. Huabao is approved to sell vapor products by the Chinese State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, the government agency that controls the tobacco market in China. In 2015, VMR Products said that it will move its supply chain in-house instead of relying on third-party partners. The

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...

(FDA) enforcement of regulation of the American vaping industry in 2016 signalled trouble for V2 Cigs. Its manufacturer was also unable to legally release a new e-cigarette to compete against

Juul Juul Labs, Inc. (, stylized as JUUL Labs) is an American electronic cigarette company headquartered in San Francisco. Its flagship product is the Juul electronic cigarette, which Construction of electronic cigarettes, atomizes nicotine salts d ...

which was swiftly rising in the market. In October 2018 Juul Labs, Inc. purchased VMR Products LLC, the parent company of V2 e-cigarettes in a $75 million deal. It was reported that Juul's rationale for the acquisition of VMR products was to gain access to the Chinese market. VMR Products and the V2 product line shut down effective on November 2, 2018 leaving millions of V2 customers at bay.

Current operations

However, distribution of the V2 e-cigarettes have continued by V2 Cigs UK, which was originally founded as BuyV2Cigs as an authorised reseller of VMR Products's e-cigarette products in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The company, based in

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in England, ran its own manufacturing process and controlled the supply chain. After VMR's demise, V2 Cigs UK said in 2019 that it will now manufacture their own devices, e-liquid and other products including under the Vsavi (pronounced "V-savvy") brand as a recommencement of V2. The devices are fully compatible continuations of the former V2 products.

Marketing

Between 2015 and 2016, V2 Cigs spent a total of $11,900 for radio advertisements in six American cities. The amount and timeslots for the ads were less compared to three of its rivals,

Logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the study of deductively valid inferences or logical truths. It examines how conclusions follow from premises based on the structure o ...

, VaporFi, and VaporShark.

References

External links

* {{Electronic cigarettes Electronic cigarettes Companies based in Cambridge 2010 establishments in Florida Electronic cigarette manufacturers Electronic cigarette brands