Anna Bettencourt, senior tobacco category manager, at Yatco Energy, Marlborough, Massachusetts, was a finalist for behind the counter, small chain, in CSP’s 2025 Category Manager of the Year (CMOY) awards.
This year's CMOY awards featured 14 winners across seven categories. Winners from both small (99 or fewer stores) and large chains (100 stores or more) were selected for the first time in each category.
Here is the Q&A from her conversation with CSP on the tobacco category trends, challenges, innovation and more:
What’s new and exciting in your category?
There is always something new from a regulatory perspective in Massachusetts. The positive news is nicotine pouches continue to grow.
What do you love about your category?
The challenge of running a category that is so heavy on regulations.
What trends are you watching?
I am always watching all trends—I need to be able to move quickly to react to trends.
What products performed well in the past year?
Nicotine pouches, no surprise there.
What are your goals/most looking forward to in 2025?
Properly aligning the space for each category to maximize sales.
What are the biggest challenges the category is facing?
Regulations and keeping the customer happy with product assortment.
What’s the biggest regulatory hurdle your category faces this year?
The tobacco-free generation movement and menthol ban on the state and town level.
Despite persistent regulatory uncertainty and declining cigarette usage nationwide, how do you think the tobacco industry will continue to grow in 2025?
I think we will continue to see an overall decline in the total tobacco category, coming from mostly cigarettes.
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