Alfie Turmeaus Tobacconist opens its first shop in Mayfair after almost 200 years

     NEWS  RELEASE                                                 January 2012, 2012

 Alfie Turmeaus Tobacconist opens its first shop in Mayfair after almost 200 years

When the Turmeaus family arrived from France and established a tobacconist shop in Liverpool in 1817, they didn't imagine their business would survive for almost two hundred years.
 

C.Gars Ltd quietly opened a branch in London's Mayfair just before Christmas 2011.
 

'We took over Turmeaus Tobacconist in Liverpool in 2003 when the industry was already concerned about the UK-wide smoking ban,' said Mitchell Orchant, founder, C.Gars Ltd.
 

'We then invested – our company policy – in upgrading the shop and retraining staff to meet the needs of 21st century smokers, in particular, cigar aficionados.
 

'Then we opened a branch of Turmeaus in Chester in 2005.
 

'Fortunately for us, Britain's smoking ban turned out to be a boon in disguise. This year, we shall be celebrating not mourning the fifth anniversary of the UK's smoking ban, for it has boosted our business 20 per cent every year since 2007.
 

'What smokers now demand, especially lovers of premium Havana and non-Cuban cigars, is more information about their favourite tubes of fine tobacco. And, at the very least, they expect their cigars to be kept properly in walk-in humidors by qualified, well-informed staff who can advise them what's best to smoke, and when.
 

'Between our nine shops and our 24/7 all year round huge Internet business we've now finding it difficult to keep up with demand.
 

'We've had to take on more staff and decided to open this new shop in Mayfair for premium cigars and smoking-related accessories. It's now open every day, with late night shopping on Thursdays and Fridays as well as 12-5pm on Sundays.
 

'We believe that Alfie Turmeaus – Mayfair, at 1 White Horse Street, Shepherd Market, will be a huge asset to this tiny but historically fascinating area tucked away between Piccadilly and Curzon Street in the exclusive borough of Mayfair.
 

'But then you can always find the best of anything in Mayfair – that's why we're here.
 

'By the way, next to Shepherd Market is Half Moon Street, where P.G. Wodehouse's fictional Bertie Wooster and his faithful valet, Jeeves, lived.
 

'According to Robert McCrum's biography, Wodehouse crumbled fine cigars into his pipes and rarely used actual pipe tobacco. I'm sure if he was still alive, Wodehouse would feel very much at home at Alfie Turmeaus in Mayfair, not least because of the old-fashioned service we offer there, and in all our other shops.'

NOTES FOR EDITORS:
 

Alfie Turmeaus Tobacconist – Mayfair, 1 White Horse Street, Shepherd market, Mayfair, London W1J 7LB. Phone: +44 (0) 207 495 7330.
 

C.Gars Ltd was launched in 1997 and is now one of the world's largest specialist cigar merchants. It sells premium cigars and related goods from its website, 24/7, every day of the year and runs nine specialist tobacco shops in the UK and Germany, and has an associate company in Ireland.
 

For further information please contact the C.Gars Ltd Press Office on 0207 372 1865 (+44 1 207 372 1865) or email: [email protected]

www.cgarsltd.co.uk