Republic Technologies buys Innovative

At the beginning of October, Republic Technologies announced that it had bought the entire share capital of the company Innovative. A calculated move, which rounds out the offer of the group behind OCB, JOB, ZIG-ZAG and E-CG. Explanations.

Towards a fuller e-liquid range

Republic Technologies is a company based in Perpignan, in the south of France. It owns brands that are already well known to smokers and vapers. Innovative, for its part, is a company based in Angoulême which specialises in e-liquids presented as high quality and made in France: So Good.

That range has been very well received, which is why it quickly became an established premium brand among retailers. Republic Technologies was in direct competition with it through its E-CG e-liquids.

On 1 October, Olivier Partouche, chief executive of Republic Technologies, and Cédric Lacouture, founder of Innovative, issued a press release announcing the purchase of Innovative by Republic Technologies. The stated aim of the operation is to keep a leading position in the e-liquid world by supporting and developing vaping products with tobacconists.

Settling in comfortably on the vaping market

With this new acquisition, Republic Technologies is in a position to build on the e-liquid range it already has with E-CG. The two customer bases complement each other and merge in a way intended to target consumer expectations more closely through tobacconists.

With an existing range of e-liquids made entirely in France, made up of 40 different flavours and available in 5 nicotine strengths, E-CG had already established itself on this expanding market. But So Good, the newcomer created in 2013, quickly gained ground with 10 more flavours than E-CG and as many choices of nicotine strength in its products. Certified Origine France, So Good e-liquids quickly found their audience and adapted to tobacconists thanks to ranges of display furniture and a suitable advertising system. Three new ranges of vaping liquids appeared this year at So Good, which the two companies present as a solid basis for the merger.