Imperial takes aim at Juul as Big Tobacco faces upstart rival

Cooper: Japan is the only market where I expect rapid disruption for the tobacco industry. — Bloomberg

LONDON: Imperial Brands Plc is launching a vaping product to compete with Juul Labs Inc as chief executive officer Alison Cooper steps up efforts to reassure investors that smoking alternatives are an opportunity rather than a threat.

This month the maker of Winston cigarettes is releasing new vaping pods in the US and UK containing nicotine salts, which allow the stimulant to be absorbed into the bloodstream more rapidly than when using conventional e-cigarettes.