Lorillard Tobacco Company said on Wednesday it will develop and sell smokeless tobacco products in the United States with Swedish Match, making it the second US cigarette company to make a major push into the category.

Lorillard, which makes cigarettes such as Newport, said it expects the first product under the deal with Swedish Match's North American unit to be launched "in the not too distant future".
Earlier this year, Reynolds American bought Conwood, the second-largest US smokeless tobacco company, adding brands like Grizzly, a lower-priced product that is growing as the higher end of the market feels pressure. Meanwhile, Altria Group's Philip Morris USA started selling Taboka, a smoke-free, spit-free tobacco pouch product, in a test market in the Indianapolis area in July.
Swedish Match already sells TimberWolf and Longhorn in the United States, and makes other products like Red Man chewing tobacco.
In the US, Swedish Match ranks behind UST's US Smokeless Tobacco Co, which makes products like Skoal and Copenhagen smokeless tobacco, and Reynolds' Conwood. (pi)