Best Cigar Prices and Alliance Cigar Merge to Form New National Powerhouse
In a major move for the U.S. cigar industry, retailer Best Cigar Prices and distributor Alliance Cigar have merged under the New Global Marketing umbrella, creating a vertically integrated force in both wholesale and retail markets.
Retailer-Distributor Merger Strengthens Market Position of Best Cigar Prices and Alliance Cigar
Best Cigar Prices, a leading Pennsylvania-based retailer, has officially merged with New York-based distributor Alliance Cigar, marking a significant consolidation within the premium cigar industry. The newly combined entity will operate under New Global Marketing, Inc., the parent company of Best Cigar Prices.
Greg Fox, president and CEO of Best Cigar Prices, will lead the merged organisation. Alliance Cigar founders Tom Sullivan and Steve Kallinikos will continue with the company as Executive Vice Presidents and board members, also holding equity stakes in the venture.
“This is a natural and very exciting strategic combination of our businesses,” said Fox. “We’ve known and respected each other for decades and now have the opportunity to grow both businesses together and to combine our best-in-class services across customer categories.”
Alliance Cigar has been a key wholesale distributor in the northeast, serving a broad range of retailers, including those unable or unwilling to meet manufacturers’ direct ordering requirements. It also operates an online retail platform. The merger allows the combined business to serve both ends of the supply chain—B2B wholesale and direct-to-consumer retail—much like industry leaders Cigars International (Meier & Dutch) and JR Cigar (Santa Clara).
“This merger is the best way forward to continue delivering incredible value to our customers and to scale,” said Alliance founder Tom Sullivan. “Joining forces with another independent operator who shares our values and service-first mindset just made sense.”
Best Cigar Prices has been growing rapidly since relocating from high-tax New York to tax-free Pennsylvania. Its headquarters in Drums, PA, features not only a retail store but also a cigar lounge, restaurant, bar, and museum. The company has expanded its consumer outreach through events like the Smoke-onos Cigar Festival, signalling its ambitions in brand experience and engagement.
While specific financial terms of the merger remain undisclosed, the deal was partially financed by NBT Bank.
This strategic merger positions the new group to compete more aggressively with the top national players, offering both comprehensive wholesale support for retailers and a robust retail presence for consumers.
