Company targets additional retailers as consumer demand supports its distribution expansion strategy
MOCKSVILLE, N.C., Oct. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 22nd Century Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: XXII), today announced that combined same-store retail unit sales of Pinnacle VLN® and Pinnacle Pure increased 161% from the second to third quarter at its launch retail partner which operates approximately 1,500 retail outlets. The Company believes growing consumer awareness, together with its recent focus on marketing and promotional activities, contributed to the increase.
Pinnacle VLN®, the Company’s low nicotine cigarette brand available in regular and menthol varieties, has been on the market for approximately one year. The recent addition of Pinnacle Pure, its tobacco-and-water cigarette brand, expands the Pinnacle portfolio and further helps meet the demand of adult smokers seeking a better alternative to their standard brands.
“These results are encouraging evidence of consumer demand for Pinnacle VLN® and Pinnacle Pure. Pinnacle VLN® is showing that the smoking community is seeking an answer to their smoking practice that includes our low nicotine Pinnacle VLN® products in both regular and menthol flavors. The growth in Pinnacle VLN® coupled with the new launch of Pinnacle Pure demonstrates the consumer’s willingness to change brands as they seek alternatives to nicotine and quarterly price increases from the major brands.” said Larry Firestone, Chief Executive Officer of 22nd Century Group. “We have spent the past year setting up distribution and our launch partner retail channel. Now have the proof points we need to sell additional retailers to support the low nicotine cigarette category along with Pinnacle Pure which will drive our retail expansion plans as we go forward.”
About 22nd Century Group, Inc.
22nd Century Group is pioneering the Tobacco Harm Reduction and Nicotine Reduction Movements by enabling smokers to take control of their nicotine consumption.
Our Technology is Tobacco
Our proprietary non-GMO reduced nicotine tobacco plants were developed using our patented technologies that regulate alkaloid biosynthesis activities resulting in a tobacco plant that contains 95% less nicotine than traditional tobacco plants. Our extensive patent portfolio has been developed to ensure that our-high-quality tobacco can be grown commercially at scale. We continue to develop our intellectual property to ensure our ongoing leadership in the tobacco harm reduction movement.
Our Products
We created our flagship product, the VLN® cigarette using our low nicotine tobacco, to give traditional cigarette smokers an authentic and familiar alternative in the form of a combustible cigarette that helps them take control of their nicotine consumption. VLN® cigarettes have 95% less nicotine compared to traditional cigarettes and have been proven to allow consumers to greatly reduce their nicotine consumption.
VLN® and Helps You Smoke Less® are registered trademarks of 22nd Century Limited LLC.
Learn more at xxiicentury.com, on X (formerly Twitter), on LinkedIn, and on YouTube.
Learn more about VLN® at tryvln.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations, and assumptions contained in this press release are forward-looking statements, including but not limited to our full year business outlook. Forward-looking statements typically contain terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “consider,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “explore,” “foresee,” “goal,” “guidance,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “preliminary,” “probable,” “project,” “promising,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” “would,” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding (i) our expectations regarding regulatory enforcement, including our ability to receive authorization or approval for new products, and (ii) our financial and operating performance. Actual results might differ materially from those explicit or implicit in forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are set forth in “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 26, 2026 and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed May 7, 2026 and August 14, 2026. All information provided in this release is as of the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation to and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
Investor Relations & Media Contact
Daniel Otto
Chief Financial Officer & Investor Relations
22nd Century Group
investorrelations@xxiicentury.com
