Cigarette sales in France last year were down by 4.9 per cent on those of 2011, according to a story in Les Echos.
This, the biggest fall since 2004, was probably caused by recent regular tax-induced cigarette price rises, especially those imposed after 2009, the story suggested.
The latest increase, in October last year, took the retail price of the least expensive cigarettes to €6.10.
Meanwhile, European tobacco makers and retailers plan to hold a demonstration in Brussels on January 22 against an EU Commission directive proposal that 75 per cent of cigarette packages are covered with anti-tobacco images and messages.