Imperial hosting investor event

The Imperial Tobacco Group was due to host in London today an investor event focusing on the company’s strategies for sustainable growth and ‘delivering quality sales growth supported by cost and cash optimisation’.

Imperial said that, during the presentations, it would state its intention of growing dividends by at least 10 per cent a year in the ‘medium term’.

‘As announced in our Interim Management Statement on 30 January we are currently accelerating a cost optimisation programme designed to fund investments to support profit growth,’ Imperial said in a note posted on its website. ‘The presentations will also include an outline of this cost programme, which will realise some benefits in our current financial year. From October 2013 the programme will deliver further savings of around £300 million per annum by September 2018.’

Imperial said it would release its half yearly results on April 30 and confirmed that its full year results remained in line with its expectations.