Business briefing
The page is dedicated to all of our our business and company related news briefings. These stories cover everything from individual company updates and product launches to technological advances and global business.
Retailers face puzzle of what to stock as EU menthol cigarette ban looms
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 12th May 2020 || Business briefing |
Retailers in Europe are playing a guessing game as they plan how to fill the gap on the shelves with new tobacco-alternative products in preparation for the fast-approaching ban on menthol cigarettes ...
Altria expects a hit from COVID-19, BAT set for heated tobacco decline
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 30th April 2020 || Business briefing |
Big Tobacco manufacturers are expecting the effects of COVID-19 to hit hard in the second half of the year, despite a strong performance in the first quarter ...
TobaccoIntelligence
COVID-19 news round-up
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 30th April 2020 || Business briefing |
All TobaccoIntelligence's COVID-19-related news briefings can now be found in one place here ...
Swedish Match enjoys 35% smoke-free sales boom but predicts downturn
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 29th April 2020 || Business briefing |
Swedish Match’s sales of smoke-free products boomed in the first quarter of 2020, with the segment recording a 35% year-on-year increase to SEK2.508bn (€234m) ...
BAT takes action over heated tobacco patent in bid to ‘win race’ with PMI
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 27th April 2020 || Business briefing |
British American Tobacco is suing Big Tobacco rival Philip Morris International in the US and in Europe for allegedly infringing its patents with its popular heated tobacco device IQOS ...
PMI lowers expectation of IQOS uptake by half as lockdown hits Heets sales
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 22nd April 2020 || Business briefing |
Philip Morris International is braced for a significant dip in sales and use of its heated-tobacco device IQOS over the rest of 2020, with retail and travel restrictions currently imposed in nearly every country ...
Altria appoints new CEO while facing US court challenge over IQOS
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 20th April 2020 || Business briefing |
US tobacco giant Altria has appointed Billy Gifford as CEO. Gifford, previously vice-chairman and CFO, steps up to take over as CEO from Howard Willard, who is retiring after 28 years with the company ...
Swiss canton adds snus and snuff to its youth sales testing programme
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 8th April 2020 || Business briefing |
The Swiss canton of Valais is to include snus and other non-combustible products in its tobacco test-purchasing programme for the first time in a widened bid to halt the sale of tobacco products to minors ...
Did heated tobacco give early humans a head start in the evolution race?
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 1st April 2020 || Business briefing |
A distant precursor of today’s heated tobacco products could have provided early humans with a critical survival advantage over their Neanderthal cousins, scientists suggest in a paper published today (1st April) ...
US trade commission is called in to decide on nicotine pouch patent row
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 19th March 2020 || Business briefing |
The US International Trade Commission (USITC) is looking into a possible infringement of the patent for a nicotine pouch product, following a claim led by Swedish Match North America ...
Nicotine events still on the calendar while others fall victim to COVID-19
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 16th March 2020 || Business briefing |
Organisers of two major conferences and exhibitions on nicotine delivery are hoping the events can still go ahead despite the global coronavirus outbreak and a number of other event cancellations and postponements ...
PMI appoints a CEO for its US wing to push on with ‘smoke-free future’
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 9th March 2020 || Business briefing |
Philip Morris International (PMI)’s chief financial officer, Martin King, has been promoted to the newly created role of CEO for PMI America in a bid to further develop the company’s smoke-free segment ...
Swedish Match to boost ZYN pouch production to meet US demand
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 3rd March 2020 || Business briefing |
Swedish Match is to increase production of its tobacco-free nicotine pouch ZYN to 200m cans a year after a steep rise in demand in the US ...
BAT reports 273% revenue increase in a year for its modern oral portfolio
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 28th February 2020 || Business briefing |
British American Tobacco (BAT)'s "modern oral" portfolio has been one of the main drivers helping the company achieve good results in 2019 for its next-generation products category, which overall increased globally by 36.9% ...
Norway and Denmark give up the smoking habit, turn to snus instead
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 20th February 2020 || Business briefing |
Snus is booming in popularity in Norway and Denmark – especially among the young – while cigarette-smoking appears to be losing its appeal fast ...
Could menthol cigarette ban boost uptake of heated tobacco products?
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 18th February 2020 || Business briefing |
The upcoming ban on menthol cigarettes across Europe may create opportunities for increased adoption of alternative tobacco products, such as heated tobacco ...
44% rise in HnB shipments drives a year of smoke-free growth for PMI
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 6th February 2020 || Business briefing |
PMI saw its market share of heated tobacco units in IQOS markets, excluding the US, rise by 1.4 percentage points to 5% last year, with a 44.2% increase in HnB shipments ...
Tobacco ads in Germany – spending goes up while ban debate goes on
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 4th February 2020 || Business briefing |
While politicians in Germany continue to debate a future ban on tobacco-related advertising, new figures show that expenditure on ads by the country’s tobacco industry has increased ...
Altria investment value in Juul drops by 65% in a year
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 31st January 2020 || Business briefing |
The investment value of Altria in e-cig company Juul fell by 65% in almost a year due to the recent developments in the US affecting the brand ...
JT to slash prices of Ploom Tech devices in bid to capture Japanese market
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 29th January 2020 || Business briefing |
Japan Tobacco (JT) is cutting the price of its Ploom Tech and Ploom Tech+ hybrid devices from 1st February as it continues to lag behind its chief Big Tobacco competitors in its home market ...
Anti-tobacco campaign blamed for slump in Spanish e-cigarette sector
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 3rd January 2020 || Business briefing |
Falling Spanish e-cigarette sales have led to job losses, with vape stores closing, according to the country’s Union of Vaping Promoters and Entrepreneurs ...
Swiss Tobacco Prevention Fund ‘should help finance alternatives’
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 10th December 2019 || Business briefing |
Switzerland’s Tobacco Prevention Fund should finance harm reduction initiatives, the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health has been told ...
BAT launches new HnB in Korea amid government crackdown
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 29th November 2019 || Business briefing |
British American Tobacco (BAT) has launched its “most advanced” heated tobacco product in South Korea – during a critical political period in which the government has taken a harsh stance towards HnB products ...
Altria’s smokeless portfolio performs well despite taking hit on Juul
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 1st November 2019 || Business briefing |
Altria’s global net revenues rose 0.3% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2019 to $6.86bn, primarily due to higher net revenues in the smokeless products...
JTI lowers its 2019 forecast as Japanese Ploom Tech sales fall
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 31st October 2019 || Business briefing |
Falling sales of Japan Tobacco’s heated tobacco device Ploom Tech have hit the company’s total revenue from reduced risk products, which fell by JPY7.1bn ($65.7m) to JPY17.8bn ($164.6m) in Q3...
PMI chief Calantzopoulos talks up ‘exciting global growth’ of HnB
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 17th October 2019 || Business briefing |
PMI has posted an 84.8% year-on-year increase in heated tobacco shipments in the third quarter of 2019 to nearly 16bn units, while its shipments of conventional cigarettes went down by 5.9% ...
Big Tobacco job cuts highlight growing pressure on combustibles business
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 19th September 2019 || Business briefing |
A wave of workforce cuts by major companies such as British American Tobacco (BAT) and Japan Tobacco International (JTI) may be just the tip of the iceberg for Big Tobacco ...
Spanish campaign attacks smoking and alternatives in one blast
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 19th September 2019 || Business briefing |
A new anti-smoking campaign by the Spanish government takes on smoking, vaping, heated tobacco and hookahs under the motto “El tabaco ata y te mata” (“Tobacco ties and kills you”) ...
Giants reunited? What will PMI-Altria re-merger mean for the market?
Written by Barnaby Page || 5th September 2019 || Business briefing |
TobaccoIntelligence considers the effects the possible re-merger of Philip Morris International (PMI) and Altria might have on the combustible and alternatives markets in the US and beyond ...
BAT launches hybrid pod in Korea amid rumours of new tax scheme
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 14th August 2019 || Business briefing |
British American Tobacco (BAT) has launched Glo Sens in Korea, a new hybrid pod product which combines vaping technology with real tobacco ...
Shop display stands for IQOS ‘don’t break Russian advertising law’
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 8th August 2019 || Business briefing |
The Russian Federal Anti-monopoly Service has rejected a complaint by the International Confederation of Consumer Societies that IQOS display stands in stores violated federal advertising rules ...
BAT revenue rises; e-cigs and heated tobacco offset drop in cigarette sales
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 1st August 2019 || Business briefing |
British American Tobacco’s (BAT) net revenue rose 4.6% in the first half of 2019, driven by growing demand for next-generation products such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco ...
Altria revises US cigarette industry volume down; vapour drives revenues
Written by David Palacios Rubio || 31st July 2019 || Business briefing |
US tobacco company Altria has revised its expectations for the US cigarette industry downwards, with a predicted decline up to 6% through 2023 ...
IQOS accounts for 20% of PMI’s net revenues in Q2 2019
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 19th July 2019 || Business briefing |
PMI considers almost hitting $1.5bn revenue for its reduced risk portfolio in the second quarter of 2019 a “positive top-line momentum” ...
PMI moves on Bristol with four new IQOS stores opening this summer
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 26th June 2019 || Business briefing |
Philip Morris International (PMI) is to expand its British heated tobacco presence with the opening of four new IQOS stores in Bristol this summer ...
South Korea responds to Juul and Lil launches with pledge to get tough
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 24th June 2019 || Business briefing |
The South Korean government is running a campaign to discourage use of tobacco products, in response to recent launches of Juul and a similar device from...
BAT looking forward to substantial growth in next-generation volumes
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 13th June 2019 || Business briefing |
British American Tobacco (BAT) is expecting its next-generation portfolio, including vaping and heated tobacco products, to grow between 30-50% in 2019 ...
Japan remains premier test market for new HnB devices
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 30th May 2019 || Business briefing |
Japan continues to be the leading test market for heated tobacco products, with two new devices recently launched – including the world’s first device which works with ordinary cigarettes ...IQOS reaction: ‘Approval works for PMI, but what about the little guy?’
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 2nd May 2019 || Business briefing |
There have been mixed reactions from within the industry to the FDA decision to allow PMI’s heated-tobacco device IQOS and its associated consumables onto the US market ...
FDA gives the green light for IQOS roll-out onto the US market
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 30th April 2019 || Business briefing |
The US FDA has given its approval for Philip Morris International (PMI)’s IQOS in the US, along with its associated consumables ― the first heated-tobacco products to be so approved ...
PMI subsidiary offers life insurance discount to smokers who switch
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 25th April 2019 || Business briefing |
PMI is getting into the life insurance business by creating a subsidiary which offers discounts for switching from smoking to heated tobacco or e-cigarettes ...
HnB and e-cigs could provide a silver lining for Austrian tobacconists
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 25th March 2019 || Business briefing |
Austrian tobacconists, hit by falling cigarette sales, could find salvation in the growing market for tobacco alternatives ...
Next-generation products drive profits for British American Tobacco
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 1st March 2019 || Business briefing |
British American Tobacco’s (BAT) 2018 financial results were driven by its reduced risk portfolio, which includes products such as Vuse and Vype and Glo ...
BAT and PMI test the legal waters again with F1 sponsorships
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 14th February 2019 || Business briefing |
The now-controversial link between Big Tobacco and Formula 1 racing is being renewed, with tie-ups between two leading teams and two tobacco giants facing legal scrutiny ...
The future is not in combustibles, as Altria’s sales continue to decline
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 1st February 2019 || Business briefing |
The 2018 results from the Altria Group revealed a slump in sales of combustibles. The company is now turning its attention to alternative sectors such as cannabis and Juul, and preparing for the US launch of IQOS ...
JT shows two new higher-temp HnB devices for Japan
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 21st January 2019 || Business briefing |
Japan Tobacco (JT) is launching two new heat-not-burn (HnB) devices in the Japanese market as it tries to catch up with IQOS and Glo in its home territory ...
IQOS versus Glo: PMI takes on BAT in Japanese HnB patent battle
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 3rd December 2018 || Business briefing |
Philip Morris International (PMI) is suing British American Tobacco (BAT) in Japan for infringement of the patent for IQOS, claiming the rival company has copied the technology for its own Glo device ...
PMI hopes to ‘make an impact’ with IQOS store in South Africa
Written by TobaccoIntelligence || 23rd November 2018 || Business briefing |
Philip Morris International (PMI) is to open an IQOS flagship store in Johannesburg, South Africa next year – with a welcome from the local e-cig industry ...