Distribution Expansion at Current Retail Partners Deepens Pinnacle’s Footprint as Consumer Demand Accelerates
Planned Expansion Increases Number of Pinnacle Retail Locations by Nearly 30%
MOCKSVILLE, N.C., Oct. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — 22nd Century Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: XXII), the only low nicotine tobacco company in the world, today announced the expansion of its Pinnacle brand — including Pinnacle VLN® and Pinnacle Pure — into 13 newly authorized states, expected to drive incremental distribution at the Company’s current retail partners in 360 additional stores across the United States.
State authorization is required before tobacco products may be sold in a given state, and the newly authorized states clear the way for the Company’s low nicotine and tobacco-and-water cigarettes to ship to current retail partners nationwide. The expansion builds on the Pinnacle platform’s recent addition of new SKU’s.
“Each new state authorization is critical in responding to consumer demand we are seeing with our Pinnacle branded products,” said Larry Firestone, Chief Executive Officer of 22nd Century Group. “These authorizations put our low nicotine and more recently tobacco-and-water brands in front of more adult smokers in the form factors and taste profiles they prefer in the markets where they shop. This deepens our relationships with the retail partners already reordering our products and will open new doors in new markets for our Pinnacle branded products. This is our distribution expansion playbook working exactly as planned.”
Pinnacle VLN® and Pinnacle Pure are expected to begin arriving in the newly authorized stores on a rolling basis beginning in Q1 2027.
About 22nd Century Group, Inc.
22nd Century Group is pioneering the Tobacco Harm Reduction and Nicotine Reduction Movements by enabling smokers to take control of their nicotine consumption.
Our Technology is Tobacco
Our proprietary non-GMO reduced nicotine tobacco plants were developed using our patented technologies that regulate alkaloid biosynthesis activities resulting in a tobacco plant that contains 95% less nicotine than traditional tobacco plants. Our extensive patent portfolio has been developed to ensure that our high-quality tobacco can be grown commercially at scale. We continue to develop our intellectual property to ensure our ongoing leadership in the tobacco harm reduction movement.
Our Products
We created our flagship product, the VLN® cigarette using our low nicotine tobacco, to give traditional cigarette smokers an authentic and familiar alternative in the form of a combustible cigarette that helps them take control of their nicotine consumption. VLN® cigarettes have 95% less nicotine compared to traditional cigarettes and have been proven to allow consumers to greatly reduce their nicotine consumption.
VLN® and Helps You Smoke Less® are registered trademarks of 22nd Century Limited LLC.
Learn more at xxiicentury.com, on X (formerly Twitter), on LinkedIn, and on YouTube.
Learn more about VLN® and Pinnacle VLN® at tryvln.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations, and assumptions contained in this press release are forward-looking statements, including but not limited to our full year business outlook. Forward-looking statements typically contain terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “consider,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “explore,” “foresee,” “goal,” “guidance,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “preliminary,” “probable,” “project,” “promising,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” “would,” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding (i) our expectations regarding regulatory enforcement, including our ability to receive authorization or approval for new products, and (ii) our financial and operating performance. Actual results might differ materially from those explicit or implicit in forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are set forth in “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 26, 2026 and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed May 7, 2026 and August 14, 2026. All information provided in this release is as of the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation to and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
Investor Relations & Media Contact
Daniel Otto
Chief Financial Officer & Investor Relations
22nd Century Group
investorrelations@xxiicentury.com
