J Fox

What J Fox does

JJ Fox (legal entity JJ Fox (St James's) Ltd) is a privately held London tobacconist whose origins trace to Robert Lewis beginning trade in St James's Street in 1787, with the James J. Fox brand formed in Dublin in 1881 and its first London shop opening in 1947. On 14 September 1992, Fox acquired the Robert Lewis business, unifying both historic names under the current company, which also began operating the cigar departments at Harrods and Selfridges that year. The company now trades from three physical locations — the flagship store and Sampling Lounge at 19 St James's Street (SW1A 1ES), and concessions inside Harrods and Selfridges — alongside a full e-commerce storefront at jjfox.co.uk that ships to Europe and Rest of World (but not cigars to the US, owing to the Cuban embargo).

The core offering is premium cigars — Cuban brands (Cohiba, Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, Hoyo de Monterrey, Partagas, Trinidad, H. Upmann, Bolivar, Quai D'Orsay) sourced via Habanos S.A., plus New World cigars from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Honduras — and the proprietary James J. Fox House Blend sold exclusively in JJ Fox channels. The business is completed by cigar accessories (humidors, cutters, lighters, cases, ashtrays from S.T. Dupont, Colibri, Elie Bleu, Xikar and others), pipes and pipe tobacco (Peterson, Rattray's, Samuel Gawith), curated cigar sampler gift sets, and experiential retail via the Sampling Lounge and pairing events with spirits partners including Tesseron Cognac and Bacardi single malts (Craigellachie, Aberfeldy, Royal Brackla). There is no proprietary technology layer; the business runs on a standard Magento-style e-commerce platform with catalog-based merchandising rather than AI-driven personalization.

Commercially, JJ Fox operates a direct-to-consumer model across physical retail, department store concessions, and e-commerce, augmented by an event-driven engagement layer. Pricing is unit-based pay-as-you-go, with single cigar purchases (e.g., Romeo y Julieta Short Churchill at £41.00, Punch Coronation Tubos from £26.00), box purchases at lower per-unit prices, sampler gift sets spanning under £50 to over £100, and premium accessories reaching £2,200 (S.T. Dupont Cohiba 60 Le Grand Lighter) and £390 (Elie Bleu ashtrays). Free standard UK delivery is offered above £150 and free international delivery above £350. The company is family-owned, employs 11-50 staff, has no external funding rounds, no parent company, and reports no disclosed revenue.

Name

J Fox

Legal name

JJ Fox (St James's) Ltd

Website

https://jjfox.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1881

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

JJ Fox is a privately held London luxury tobacconist selling premium Cuban and New World cigars, accessories, pipes, and pipe tobacco via its 19 St James's Street flagship, Harrods and Selfridges concessions, and a global e-commerce site.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Premium Tobacco Retail

NAICS

Tobacco, Electronic Cigarette, and Other Smoking Supplies Retailers (459991)

akta.pro primary industry

Tobacco & Nicotine Specialty Shops (Tobacconists) (CRANADAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cigar & Premium Tobacco Retail (CRANADAB)

Keywords

• Premium cigar retail
• Cigar accessories
• Pipe tobacco sales
• Luxury tobacconist
• Cigar gift sets

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Cigar Sales: Retail sale of premium cigars including Cuban, Dominican, Nicaraguan, and other origin cigars. Products sold individually and in boxes.
2. Cigar Accessories: Sale of complementary products including humidors, cigar cases, lighters, cutters, and ashtrays from brands like S.T. Dupont, Colibri, and Elie Bleu.
3. Gifting Products: Curated sampler packs and gift sets for occasions including weddings and corporate gifting.
4. Pipes and Tobacco: Sale of pipe tobacco brands including Peterson, Samuel Gawith, and own James J Fox branded tobacco.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

JJ Fox retails premium cigars (Cuban brands via Habanos S.A. plus New World cigars from Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras), cigar accessories (humidors, cutters, lighters, cases, ashtrays), pipes and pipe tobacco, curated sampler packs and gift sets, and vintage/limited edition cigars, supplemented by an in-store Sampling Lounge experience and pairing events. The business operates through a flagship store on St James's Street in London, concessions within Harrods and Selfridges, and an e-commerce store shipping to the UK, Europe and Rest of World.

Product overview

J Fox operates as a traditional tobacconist and online cigar retailer, offering a comprehensive portfolio centered around premium cigars and accessories. The core offering consists of Cuban cigars from iconic Habanos brands (Cohiba, Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, Hoyo de Monterrey, Partagas, Trinidad, H.Upmann, Bolivar, Quai D'Orsay) alongside a curated selection of New World cigars from Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Honduras. The company also sells its proprietary James J. Fox House Blend. Supporting the cigar business is a full range of accessories (humidors, cutters, lighters, cases, ashtrays) from premium brands like S.T. Dupont, Colibri, Xikar, and Elie Bleu. Additional offerings include pipe tobacco, pipes, cigar samplers for gifting, and an in-store Sampling Lounge experience at their flagship 19 St James's Street location. The business operates as an e-commerce platform with physical retail presence at Harrods and Selfridges department stores.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Premium Cuban Cigars

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HarrodscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJJ Fox operates the cigar department within Harrods luxury department store in London, selling cigars and accessories through this premium retail channel.
• SelfridgescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJJ Fox operates the cigar department within Selfridges luxury department store in London, selling cigars and accessories through this premium retail channel.
• Tesseron CognacminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for cigar and cognac pairing events at JJ Fox sampling lounge. Tesseron provides their premium XO cognac range for tasting evenings.
• Bacardi UKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for cigar and single malt whisky pairing events. Bacardi brands involved include Craigellachie, Aberfeldy, and Royal Brackla. Collaboration on multiple tasting events including King Charles III Coronation celebration.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cigars International: Large US online cigar retailer with broad catalogue across Cuban-equivalent and New World cigars. Comparable as a multi-channel cigar e-commerce specialist at significantly larger scale.
• C.Gars Ltd: UK-based online cigar retailer with a C.Gars of St James members' lounge in London. Directly comparable as a UK cigar e-commerce and lounge operator.
• Thompson Cigar: Long-established US cigar catalog and online retailer. Comparable as a heritage cigar retailer operating in a mature cigar market.
• La Casa del Habano: Worldwide franchise network of Habanos-authorised cigar stores and lounges. Comparable as a specialist Cuban cigar retail and hospitality chain with shared supplier (Habanos S.A.).
• Turmeaus Tobacco: UK tobacconist with multiple shops and cigar lounge. Comparable as a UK-based multi-store cigar specialist with retail and hospitality offerings.
• Famous Smoke Shop: US-based cigar retailer with both online and brick-and-mortar presence. Comparable as a multi-channel cigar and accessory retailer with a value-to-premium assortment.
• Hunters & Frankau: UK-based exclusive distributor of Habanos and tobacconist. Directly comparable as a UK Habanos specialist retailer and B2B distributor serving the British cigar market.
• Davidoff: Global premium cigar brand and luxury tobacconist operating flagship cigar lounges and retail. Directly comparable as a premium cigar specialist with a hospitality-led experiential retail model.

Others

• S.T. Dupont: French luxury accessories maker including premium cigar lighters and humidors stocked by JJ Fox. Comparable as a luxury accessories supplier and ecosystem partner in the cigar retail value chain.

Broad incumbents

• Davidoff of Geneva (Geneva flagship): Original Davidoff flagship and broader cigar/hospitality destination in Geneva. Comparable as a global luxury cigar destination operating at significantly broader scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/james-j-fox-cigar-merchants

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about J Fox