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Tag: Imperial

  • Imperial Partners with Capgemini to Boost Technology

    Imperial Partners with Capgemini to Boost Technology

    Imperial Brands announced a long-term global partnership with technology and consulting firm Capgemini to support its 2030 strategy focused on strengthening consumer engagement, improving sales execution, and becoming a “more agile, data-driven business.” The collaboration will provide access to advanced analytics, AI tools, and technology services, with initial plans including consultations on transferring finance, procurement, and supply chain teams in Poland to Capgemini.

    Imperial said the partnership is designed to accelerate innovation, enhance operational efficiency, and support its transformation into a “stronger challenger brand,” with further updates expected at its half-year results in May.

    “Our approach is about getting ever closer to our consumers and customers, focusing on our biggest opportunities and investing for agility,” said Lukas Paravicini, CEO of Imperial Brands. “Our new partnership with Capgemini will accelerate our development. It will deliver a step-up in our consumer insights and sales execution, improve our innovation capabilities, and free our people to focus on the activities which create most value.”

  • Tobacco Companies Funding €1.1M to Clean Portugal’s Litter

    Tobacco Companies Funding €1.1M to Clean Portugal’s Litter

    Portuguese municipalities will receive €1.1 million a year from the tobacco industry in 2026 and 2027 to help offset the cost of cleaning discarded cigarette butts from public spaces, under a new government decree. Lisbon will receive the largest allocation, €41,153, while the smallest payment of €325 will go to Alvito. The figures apply to mainland Portugal, with allocations for the autonomous regions still to be determined. According to Jornal de Negócios, the decree sets out for the first time mandatory financial contributions from tobacco producers, calculated according to four territorial categories: urban, semi-urban, rural, and beach areas.

    The payments are based on a proposal by Único – Associação de Gestão de Plásticos de Uso Único, a non-profit body licensed since late 2024 to operate Portugal’s first extended producer responsibility system for waste from filtered tobacco products. Único, whose members include BAT, Imperial Brands, JTI, Landewick, Tabaqueira, and Electrão, said the reform makes companies financially accountable for tobacco-related litter. Beyond funding, producers are also expected to support measures to reduce improper disposal, including public awareness campaigns. The decree further requires Único to submit a national study on urban cleaning waste in 2026, in line with EU guidelines, to help determine whether current cost estimates should be revised under existing European legislation that obliges tobacco producers to finance the clean-up and management of discarded filtered products.

  • Imperial Canada Urges Action as Illicit Pouch Surge

    Imperial Canada Urges Action as Illicit Pouch Surge

    Imperial Tobacco Canada called on the federal government to act quickly against a growing illicit market for nicotine pouches, following a CBC investigation that found widespread illegal sales in stores and online. The company says a recent Ministerial Order requiring legal pouches to be kept behind pharmacy counters has backfired by pushing consumers toward unregulated, higher-nicotine products sold without age checks.

    “By restricting access to regulated products, the policy has driven consumers straight toward unmonitored, illegal alternatives,” said Eric Gagnon, Imperial’s vice-president of corporate and regulatory affairs. He warned that these illicit pouches often lack quality controls and pose risks to public health, especially for youth.

    Imperial echoed public health expert David Hammond’s call for stronger enforcement, including proactive retail inspections, but said enforcement alone is insufficient. The company argues that allowing approved cessation products to be sold in convenience stores and gas stations—where adult smokers already shop—would help cut demand for illegal alternatives. Imperial’s ZONNIC, the only pouch authorized by Health Canada, is limited to 4 mg of nicotine and must meet strict standards, unlike the illicit products now proliferating across the market.

  • Imperial Offers Video Series to Battle Public Misconceptions

    Imperial Offers Video Series to Battle Public Misconceptions

    Imperial Brands launched a new video series aimed at addressing the common misunderstandings associated with next-generation nicotine products (NGP) like vapes and pouches. The company’s Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) survey shows widespread confusion about the risks of NGP)s, with 63% of young people and 53% of adult smokers wrongly believing vaping is as harmful or more harmful than smoking.

    Imperial Brands Science says such misconceptions weaken the public-health potential of NGP and offers the series to tackle claims that vapes are unregulated, cause “popcorn lung,” or are as harmful as cigarettes, and clarifies differences between passive vaping and passive smoking.

    Dr. Thomas Nahde, Imperial’s Head of Harm Reduction and Engagement, said misinformation is discouraging some smokers from switching to potentially less harmful alternatives. The videos aim to make the science more accessible and promote evidence-based discussion.

    Find out more about NGP myths and misconceptions on the Imperial Brands Science website’s dedicated page.

  • NZ Faces Rising Illicit Tobacco Trade

    NZ Faces Rising Illicit Tobacco Trade

    More than one in four cigarettes consumed in New Zealand came from the illicit market last year, according to a new independent report commissioned by Imperial Brands and BAT New Zealand. The study found that 27% of total tobacco consumption was illegal, up from 23.6% the previous year, resulting in lost excise revenue estimated at over NZ$600 million ($348 million). The rise is largely driven by a 41.9% increase in smuggled, contraband cigarettes.

    Industry representatives warned that without decisive intervention, New Zealand risks facing the same challenges seen in Australia, where delayed responses allowed illicit trade to flourish post-COVID. “The report shows New Zealand’s illicit tobacco trade continues to escalate,” said an Imperial Brands spokesperson. “It would be a mistake to assume the violence and criminal networks associated with an uncontrolled illicit market couldn’t happen here.”

    BAT New Zealand echoed the call for immediate action, highlighting the importance of proactive measures. “Australia presents a cautionary tale of how quickly illicit tobacco can take hold,” a BATNZ spokesperson said. “New Zealand has the opportunity to act now to prevent the exponential growth of illegal tobacco and protect both public health and government revenue.”

    Read the full report here.

  • U.S. Judge Grants Recognition to $23B Canadian Tobacco Settlement

    U.S. Judge Grants Recognition to $23B Canadian Tobacco Settlement

    A New York bankruptcy judge yesterday (August 26) approved U.S. recognition of Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd.’s restructuring plan, a key step in a landmark C$32.5 billion (US$23.6 billion) settlement resolving decades of Canadian tobacco litigation. Judge John P. Mastando III granted Chapter 15 approval without objection, clearing the way for the settlement, one of the largest restructurings in Canadian history, to take effect across both jurisdictions.

    The deal, approved by an Ontario court in March, involves Imperial, JTI-Macdonald Corp., and Rothmans Benson & Hedges Inc. It will be funded over 20 years, beginning with a C$12 billion (US$8.7 billion) upfront payment, followed by profit-sharing contributions.

    The agreement resolves more than a trillion Canadian dollars in claims from class actions and provincial governments over smoking-related health costs.

  •  Zonnic Ban Accused of Driving Canada’s Surge in Black-Market Pouches

     Zonnic Ban Accused of Driving Canada’s Surge in Black-Market Pouches

    One year ago, Health Canada restricted the sale of Zonnic, the country’s only regulated nicotine pouch for smoking cessation, to pharmacy counters, banning convenience store sales. Imperial Tobacco Canada says the policy has backfired as cigarette purchases jumped 2.8%, and more than 500 million unregulated nicotine pouches flooded the black market.

    Eric Gagnon, Imperial’s VP of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs, called the move “punishing innovation” and warned that rural smokers now face barriers to quitting while pharmacists bear added administrative burdens. He urged the government to ensure frontline access to regulated products like Zonnic to support Canada’s goal of under 5% smoking prevalence by 2035.

    Imperial emphasizes that Zonnic—which is produced by Nicoventures Trading, a sister company to Imperial—remains the only nicotine pouch meeting national safety standards, and the company is pushing for collaborative solutions with Health Canada to improve accessibility while curbing illicit sales.

  • blu Vapes Help Smokers Cut Down, New Studies Find

    blu Vapes Help Smokers Cut Down, New Studies Find

    New research from Imperial Brands shows that its vape product, blu, is helping adult smokers reduce or quit smoking—even among those who had no plans to stop.

    Two behavioral studies tracked smokers who started using blu and found cigarette use dropped by nearly 30% within a week. At a six-month follow-up, up to 40% had significantly reduced or stopped smoking altogether. Flavors played a key role in the switch, with nearly 29% of users preferring fruit flavors, and 60% saying they’d keep using blu because of the flavor options.

    “This is potentially very positive news for public health,” said Elizabeth Clarke, Imperial’s Scientific Substantiation Lead.

    The findings will be presented at the Global Forum on Nicotine 2025 in Warsaw this week and submitted for academic publication later this year.

  • Imperial Vows to Grow Profits 3-5% Over Next Five Years

    Imperial Vows to Grow Profits 3-5% Over Next Five Years

    Today (March 26), Imperial Brands said it will grow annual operating profits by 3-5% and launch a share buyback every year until 2030 as it prepares to set out its growth strategy at a capital markets day.

    The company has enjoyed a rebound in sales and returns after retreating to focus on core markets and its tobacco business following an earlier foray into vapes that saw it lose market share. It outlined a new five-year strategy, signaling a continuation of that focus but also an effort to build scale in smoking alternatives, including its e-cigarette brand blu, nicotine pouch brand Zone and heated tobacco device Pulze.

    Over the years to 2030, that plan would deliver up to 5% operating profit growth a year, led by smoking alternatives, and an annual share buyback, with free cash flows of up to £3 billion ($3.9 billion) per year, it said in a statement.

    “The strategy builds on the firm foundations of our current plan, which has created a better business delivering a stronger, more consistent operational and financial performance, and excellent returns for shareholders,” chief executive Stefan Bomhard said.

  • Markets Stand Behind Tobacco

    Markets Stand Behind Tobacco

    Seeking Alpha, a crowd-sourced content service that publishes news on financial markets, said the prices of tobacco and smoking products in the U.S. rose 6.8% in January compared to a year ago on an unadjusted basis. Overall, core inflation was up 3.3% year-over-year during the month, which was slightly higher than the pace in December and above the expectations of analysts.

    On a month-to-month comparison, tobacco and smoking products were up 0.4% in January to mark the fifth month in a row of higher pricing for the broad category.

    Analysts have not moved off their position that Philip Morris International, Altria, Imperial Brands, and British American Tobacco could all see benefits under the Trump Administration.

    Seeking Alpha said, “UBS sees the Republican control of Congress as a slight positive for tobacco stocks. Analyst Faham Baig reminded investors that Republican control has historically been seen as a positive for U.S. tobacco, due to the likelihood of reduced regulation. On that note, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the OMB withdrew in January the menthol cigarette ban and the U.S. has pulled back from the World Health Organization.”