Kelly White Is Not For Everyone, But There’s A Kelly For Every Occasion
4 minutes read
Introduction by: Peter Marshall
Meet Kelly White: Sophisticated, minimalistic and looking for her niche
Kelly White is a fashion-forward brand primarily for women. A quick look at its website, and sparkling compacts, could have you thinking that this is a makeup or an accessory brand.
But it’s not.
Kelly White targets snus and nicotine pouch users, and traditional cigarette smokers. Adamant that it’s a perfect product for the channel, this innovative brand is now targeting expansion in global travel retail.
TRUnblocked.com’s Freelance Editor Colleen Morgan meets with Kelly White’s Co-founder Sophia Wilsby and TN Brands Founder Peter Lindkvist.
Snus. Hands up how many outside of the tobacco or smoking related products sector know anything about this product?
Just as I imagined, not many. And how many others find the whole idea of snus, and the more widely used nicotine pouches, even rather distasteful? Well, that’s something that Swedish-born Sophia Wilsby is determined to change. She wants to see her Kelly White snus-related nicotine products and accessories in global travel retail. Her brand primarily targets women and Sophia is sure there’s a developing market for Kelly White – not just for regular snus and nicotine pouch users but also for travellers, male and female, who want to enjoy a tobacco-related product during their flights.
Before we learn more about Sophia’s product and her strategy to expand into the travel retail sector, let’s take a closer look at snus.
Pronounced ‘snoose’ as in ‘moose’, snus is a smokeless, moist powder tobacco pouch that you place under your top lip. As a modern way to enjoy smoke-free and tobacco-free nicotine moments, its use often goes unnoticed.
So, does that make it an ideal product for travel retail, especially for passengers on long haul flights? Yes, says Sophia and TN Brands Founder Peter Lindkvist who is spearheading her brand’s journey into the duty free and travel retail sector.
They are quick to point out that brands like ZYN, which was acquired by Philip Morris International (PMI) in November 2022, are already very well established in the channel. “Nicotine Pouches is already an established subcategory within ‘new generation products’ or ‘smoke free products’ within the tobacco category and rapidly growing in the travel retail channel, airports especially,” Peter says. “In terms of target groups, yes snus users are a part but as it’s limited globally, traditional cigarette smokers would be the main target group for us and other nicotine pouch brands.”
He notes findings from Grand View Research which puts the global nicotine pouches market size at US$5.39 billion in 2024, with a projected CAGR of 29.6% from 2025 to 2030.
Kelly White is out to claim its own niche in that market.
The brand offers discreetly packaged tobacco-free snus nicotine pouches in various flavours including Strawberry Lime, Cucumber Mint, Hot Cherry, Sweet Peach Strong and Raspberry Lemon. A Virgin Box gives consumers the opportunity to test four of the brand’s most popular flavours while the recently-launched Kelly Collection of refill cans is available in 14 different styles and includes Sparkling Kelly, Classic Kelly and a Rebel Kelly.
According to Sophia, flavours have been developed based on studies of the brand’s intended primary target group, i.e. female users aged 25 to 45.
She is quick to point out that the idea to create a brand within the nicotine pouches market originally came from her husband and co-founder Johan Sundström. “But with my background in hairdressing and beauty, it was clear to me that I wanted to create a brand that felt sophisticated and minimalistic.” she says. So, she did.
“In a market where snus has always been made by men for men, there was a lack of a product that would appeal more to a female user, not only in taste, but also in the size of the pouches for discreet use,” Sophia adds.
“Our nicotine pods are created based on the idea of a timeless, discreet design with its white and black expression. A pod you should be able to put on the table without it screaming ‘strawberry’ with some red coloured can for example. Which flavour you prefer on your nicotine pouches is your own business, nothing you need to advertise to those around you.”
But does this product have what it takes to survive on the global market? “Definitely,” Sophia adds. “Various reports have shown very promising figures for the international growth of the category.
“Our current focus is to grow our regional footprint in Europe and the Middle East. Europe and particularly the Nordics are a strong hold for nicotine pouches. For the Middle East, we see great potential as the category has really taken off here.
“For more mature markets we have good data sources, but for newer markets sometimes it can be a bit more of a challenge, so it’s important that we are in close contact with our partners and distributors in each market to ensure we understand regional demand and can cater to any differences.”
Sophia believes the Kelly White pouches are ideal for travel, great for use on long haul trips and the attractive refill cans fit well into a retail environment. “They are top quality and look nice, bringing something new to the category – a perfect fit as a self-treat or gifting solution.”
Peter Lindkvist echoes Sophia’s comments. “I love it that the Kelly White brand is truly innovative in its approach to everything from brand design, flavours and the launch of the refill collection, Kelly Collection. As such it fits perfectly with the philosophy of TN Brands and to me, they are a true definition of a standout brand. In a market with a large range of products but where most competitors focus on the male consumer, Kelly White is finding its niche by differentiating itself with a winning concept.”
He says the reaction from travel retailers has been very positive. “We are looking forward to seeing the product on the shelf in more and more locations as we go into the summer season,” he adds. Listings are imminent.
