Source: GREENSBORO NEWS & RECORD,

 Five years ago, Newport was the hottest-selling menthol cigarette, controlling 35 percent of the market — and Greensboro-based Lorillard owned the brand. That, as financial analysts said, created a big "moat” to protect Lorillard in a market in which 25 percent of all cigarette smokers prefer menthol.

For more of this story, click here.