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Category: Business & Finance

  • Altria Raises Cigarette Prices Across Most Brands

    Altria Raises Cigarette Prices Across Most Brands

    Altria increased prices across its portfolio earlier this week, including a roughly 20- to 25-cent per pack hike on Marlboro, 25 cents on Benson & Hedges, Merit, Parliament, and Virginia Slims, and a 20-cent increase on L&M cigarettes, according to a notice from Goldman Sachs. The company held pricing flat on its value-focused Basic brand. The price changes were the second increase this year, according to CSP.

    Goldman Sachs Managing Director Bonnie Herzog said the increases were unsurprising and followed Altria’s “typical quarterly cadence,” but that the increases were sharper than predicted. “We believe Altria’s sophisticated and targeted pricing strategies, as well as promotional spending, should help to offset the frequency of list price increases, especially for price-sensitive consumers,” Herzog said.

    Herzog also said she expected British American Tobacco to follow soon with a similar price increase on cigarettes, and that she would be watching to see whether deep-discount cigarette manufacturers also move on price. “If they don’t, the relative price gap could widen further,” Herzog was quoted by CSP, increasing the risk of downtrading, but Herzog said brands like Marlboro, with a loyal customer base, would likely be able to keep consumers within the franchise.

  • Scandinavian Approves Dividend, Board Changes at AGM

    Scandinavian Approves Dividend, Board Changes at AGM

    Scandinavian Tobacco Group shareholders approved the company’s 2025 annual report and a dividend of DKK 4.50 ($0.72) per share at its annual general meeting, while backing the remuneration report and board compensation for 2026. The AGM also saw the re-election of most board members, and the appointment of Lars Dahlgren, with Henrik Brandt confirmed as chairman. PricewaterhouseCoopers was reappointed as auditor, as the company maintains continuity of governance while returning value to shareholders.

  • Nicokick, Zone Expand NASCAR Partnership with Product Launch

    Nicokick, Zone Expand NASCAR Partnership with Product Launch

    Nicokick.com and zone nicotine pouches are expanding their motorsports partnership for the 2026 NASCAR Kansas race, using the platform to drive consumer engagement and product visibility. The campaign includes the exclusive launch of a new zone Cranberry pouch and a limited-edition flavor mix tied to driver Kyle Busch, alongside co-branded car livery and promotional activity. The collaboration highlights the growing role of e-commerce in the nicotine pouch category, with Nicokick positioning itself as a regulated, age-verified channel to reach adult consumers.

  • Russian Retailers Pull Vapes Ahead of Potential Ban

    Russian Retailers Pull Vapes Ahead of Potential Ban

    In Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region, around 550 retailers voluntarily removed vapes and e-liquids from sale amid a broader crackdown on the category and expectations of a future nationwide ban. Regional authorities said the initiative follows a 2025 self-regulation program that encouraged businesses to exit the vape market, citing concerns over counterfeit products and weak regulatory oversight. Enforcement actions have also intensified, including store closures for violations, as officials signal a shift toward stricter controls and possible federal prohibition of vape sales in the near term.

  • BAT Chair Reaffirms Growth Targets at AGM

    BAT Chair Reaffirms Growth Targets at AGM

    British American Tobacco Chair Luc Jobin told shareholders at the company’s 2026 annual meeting that the group is making strong progress in its transformation toward a smokeless future, driven by growth in reduced-risk products and continued investment in innovation, science, and digital capabilities. He highlighted a more than 15% increase in smokeless product users in 2025 and reaffirmed confidence in BAT’s medium-term targets, including 3–5% revenue growth and 4–6% operating profit growth, despite regulatory challenges and market volatility.

    “We enter 2026 with accelerating momentum, powered by a strengthened innovation pipeline, deep strategic partnerships, and growing confidence in our future-fit capabilities,” Jobin said. “This progress underpins our confidence in sustainably delivering our mid-term algorithm of [growth].”

    Emphasizing harm reduction, Jobin called for evidence-based regulation to support alternatives to cigarettes and said the company remains well-positioned to deliver long-term value as it advances its strategy, despite a complex and volatile market.

    “We have activated comprehensive Business Continuity Plans to mitigate potential disruption, and we are closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East as it evolves,” he said. “As of today, the conflict is not currently having a significant impact on the Group’s business.”

    Read Jobin’s full comments here.

  • PMI Hosting Q1 Webcast April 22

    PMI Hosting Q1 Webcast April 22

    Philip Morris International Inc. announced it will host a live audio webcast on Wednesday, April 22, at 9 a.m. ET, to discuss its 2026 First-Quarter financial results, which will be issued approximately two hours earlier. The webcast can be accessed here.

    The webcast will be hosted by Emmanuel Babeau, Group Chief Financial Officer, and will include discussion of PMI’s financial results and a Q&A session with the investment community.

    The webcast may also be accessed on mobile devices by downloading PMI’s Investor Relations App at www.pmi.com/irapp. The webcast recording and the slides and script will be available here. The webcast will be in a listen-only mode, and a recording will be available for one year after the event.

  • Filtrona Offers White Paper on Regulation’s Impact on Filtration Sector

    Filtrona Offers White Paper on Regulation’s Impact on Filtration Sector

    Filtrona released a white paper, The Future of Filtration: Navigating the Post-COP11 Landscape, examining how environmental regulation and shifting consumer trends are reshaping the filtration sector. The report points to mounting policy pressure from COP11 discussions, UN plastics treaty talks, proposed revisions to the EU Tobacco Excise Directive, and expanding Extended Producer Responsibility programs, arguing the focus is moving from outright bans toward producer liability and material accountability.

    Filtrona highlights rising cost implications tied to plastics legislation and lifecycle emissions, noting that suppliers able to validate low-impact, compliant materials may gain a competitive edge. The paper also explores demand trends across reduced-risk products and value combustibles, continued interest in capsule and specialty filters, and the potential for renewed innovation as key capsule patents expire, concluding that scientific validation and environmental performance will be central to future competitiveness.

  • Imperial Flags Share Losses, Leans on H2 Growth for FY26

    Imperial Flags Share Losses, Leans on H2 Growth for FY26

    Imperial Brands warned of modest first-half profit growth and expected market share declines across its key markets, sending shares down more than 8%, as the company pivots toward profitability over volume. While reaffirming its FY26 guidance, including low-single-digit tobacco growth, double-digit next-generation product (NGP) revenue growth, and £2.2 billion in free cash flow, the group said performance would be weighted to the second half, supported by pricing in combustibles and continued momentum in heated tobacco, vaping, and oral nicotine.

    The shift comes as Imperial accelerates its five-year strategy to expand alternatives while stabilizing its core tobacco business, though weaker trends in the U.S. and Australia and heightened geopolitical risks linked to Middle East tensions could impact the outlook.

  • Nepal Debates Revival of Janakpur Cigarette Factory

    Nepal Debates Revival of Janakpur Cigarette Factory

    Debate is intensifying over a potential restart of the long-closed Janakpur Cigarette Factory in Nepal, which once employed thousands and contributed significantly to domestic tobacco production and tax revenue. The government-owned factory, which shut down due to management failures, outdated technology, and supply chain issues, remains a focal point of competing policy arguments. The factory produced an estimated 3 to 4 billion cigarettes annually at its peak.

    Proponents of revival say the facility could be modernized through improved technology and private-sector participation to restore jobs and industrial output, while public health advocates warn that resuming cigarette production would increase tobacco-related harm. The government is now weighing how to balance potential economic gains with health and regulatory concerns as pressure builds from industry stakeholders and local voices.

  • S. Korean Retailers Brace as Vapes Get Reclassified as Tobacco

    S. Korean Retailers Brace as Vapes Get Reclassified as Tobacco

    Vape shop owners across South Korea say upcoming changes to the Tobacco Business Act could force many of them out of business as synthetic nicotine liquids are reclassified as cigarettes starting April 24. Stores that operated for years outside the tobacco retail system must now qualify as designated tobacco sellers, a process retailers describe as nearly impossible due to strict location and licensing limits already filled by convenience stores and established outlets.

    Trade groups, including the Korea Electronic Tobacco Industry Association, say numerous specialty vape shops are preparing to close rather than attempt to register, as they are unlikely to obtain authorization. Retailers also warn that cigarette-level taxes on synthetic nicotine products will drive up prices and shrink demand, while pushing consumers toward unregulated nicotine-free or pseudo-nicotine liquids sold online. Many shop owners argue that the law corrects a past regulatory gap but does so in a way that sidelines small businesses that grew under the previous framework, leaving them with little path to remain in the legal market.