STG Concludes Acquisition Of Room101 Cigars

Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) revealed today that the business has actually acquired the Room101 cigar brand from Matt Booth and has preserved Booth as creative director. The acquisition is limited to Room101 cigars and gadgets and does not include any of Matt Booth’s other Room101 entities.

Régis Broersma, president of STG’s North America and Rest of World divisions said, “Our acquisition of Room101 Cigars is a strategic move for both STG and Matt Booth, and underpins our collective drive to shake up the category. Matt is a creative force and we’ve admired his ability to surprise and delight the market. On top of that, the Room101 cigar portfolio represents a blue ocean of blends and taste profiles we haven’t been playing in. So this acquisition gives us an even deeper opportunity to innovate and unlock the brand’s potential. We’re looking forward to tapping Matt’s boundless creativity, to doing some really cool cigar projects with him and to working alongside him to keep Room101 true to its roots.”

Matt Booth said, “In my 13 years in this industry, I’ve fought hard to foster Room101’s stance in market and now it is time as a brand to ascend to the next level. This arrangement is nothing short of a watershed moment for myself and our brand family. Room101 Cigars has found its forever home with STG and I am extremely excited to be part of a company that is willing to invest in creative integrity and bold innovation. This partnership will empower Room101 Cigars to stretch outward and become the first true global craft brand in the category.”

Room101 Stogies matches STG’s handmade cigar portfolio which includes a steady of heritage and store trademark name.

Room101 will be represented particularly by STG’s Forged Cigar Business.

The deal was finished on June 10, 2022. Regards to the offer are not being exposed.

Régis concluded, “Our acquisition of Room101 Cigars represents our willingness to invest in brands with strong growth potential, and we will continue to explore opportunities to expand our market-leading portfolio.”

According to Halfwheel, “Booth launched Room101 in 2003 as a jewelry company specializing in custom silver pieces, many of which drew on the Asian culture that Booth experienced while deployed as a U.S. Marine. In 2009, he entered the cigar business under a partnership with Camacho, which at the time had just been sold to Davidoff but was still operating independently. As Camacho’s operations and brands became more integrated into Davidoff’s portfolio, the brand began to get an increasing amount of attention.

The relationship between Booth and Davidoff came to an end on Jan. 1, 2017, when the contract between Room101 and Oettinger Davidoff AG/Davidoff of Geneva USA, the company that produces and distributes its cigars, was not renewed. Booth announced that he was leaving the cigar business, only to return that summer as part of a collaboration project with Robert Caldwell of Caldwell Cigar Co. Since that time, Room101 has released new lines such as Farce and Doomsayer, a number of limited editions and collaborative projects, as well as bringing back lines such as The Big Payback and Namakubi.”