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  • Swedish Match Applies for Delisting

    Swedish Match Applies for Delisting

    Image: Tobacco Reporter archive

    The board of Swedish Match said it will apply for delisting of the company’s shares from Nasdaq Stockholm, according to a press release. The last day of trading in the company’s shares on Nasdaq Stockholm will be announced as soon as the company has received confirmation from the exchange.

    Philip Morris Holland Holdings, an affiliate of Philip Morris International, declared the public offer for Swedish Match unconditional on Nov. 7, 2022. PMHH controls more than 90 percent of the shares in Swedish Match and has initiated squeeze-out proceedings in respect of the remaining shares in the company.

  • Philip Morris International to Delist Swedish Match

    Philip Morris International to Delist Swedish Match

    Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive

    Philip Morris International plans to take Swedish Match off of the stock market now that it owns a large enough share of the company to initiate a compulsory redemption of remaining shares, according to Reuters.

    “We are delighted to have obtained over 90 percent ownership of Swedish Match, allowing us to initiate a minority redemption process to acquire the remaining shares outstanding and request the delisting of the company from the stock market,” said PMI CEO Jacek Olczak in a statement.

    “This transaction marks a major milestone in accelerating our shared objective of a smoke-free future. We look forward to welcoming Swedish Match’s employees and leading oral nicotine portfolio into the PMI family to create a global smoke-free champion, notably bringing IQOS and Zyn together in both the U.S. and international markets.

    “We are very excited about the growth, value creation and progress in tobacco harm reduction that we believe can be achieved together over the coming years. Despite the increased cost of financing over recent months, we expect the combination to be low single-digit accretive to PMI’s adjusted diluted EPS in 2023, before potential revenue synergies and excluding transaction-related and one-off costs and the amortization of acquired intangibles.”

    In May, PMI submitted a $16 billion takeover bid for Swedish Match. The bid initially received pushback from Elliott Management, Framtiden and other stakeholders as they felt that it undervalued the company. PMI later raised its bid from SKK106 ($10.21) per share to SKK116 per share. Elliott Management, Framtiden and the other shareholders agreed to tender their shares after the bid was raised, and PMI secured over 83 percent approval by the end of the initial offer period.

  • PMI Releases New Integrated Report

    PMI Releases New Integrated Report

    Photo: Tobacco Reporter Archive

    Philip Morris International released its third annual Integrated Report, which includes an updated Statement of Purpose, a new environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework as well as detailed information about PMI’s strategic vision, performance, governance and value creation model. The content was informed by a formal sustainability materiality assessment conducted in 2021.

    “Sustainability and business performance are fully interrelated and mutually reinforcing. Our actions—grounded in data, science and facts—speak louder than words. PMI is committed to serving as an agent of change and advocate of positive values. We understand that our business must become a provider of effective alternatives to continued smoking for adult smokers who don’t quit. To achieve this, we are positioning ourselves at the forefront of consumer centricity, technology, science and innovation. With an eye to the long term, we are also expanding our business into areas beyond tobacco and nicotine, such as wellness and healthcare,” said Jacek Olczak, CEO of PMI, in a company press release.

    The company’s 2021 sustainability materiality assessment helped identify the ESG issues on which PMI should prioritize and focus its resources. PMI subsequently redesigned its ESG framework, recognizing two distinct topic areas: those related to PMI’s products and those related to its business operations. This distinction forms the basis of PMI’s new approach to sustainability, which consists of eight clear impact-driven strategies that aim to address its most material ESG topics. These eight strategies—four aimed to address the impact of PMI’s products and four aimed to address the company’s operational impact—are accompanied by a robust framework of nine governance-related factors.

    “I’m proud to be able to say that our executive compensation program now reflects our commitment to put sustainability at the core of our corporate strategy,” said Emmanuel Babeau, chief financial officer at PMI. “PMI’s Sustainability Index aligns us even further with the interests of shareholders and other stakeholders, forming a strong link between our executive compensation practices and the company’s short-[term] and long-term ESG performance.”

  • PMI Reaches Gender Balance Goal

    PMI Reaches Gender Balance Goal

    Photo: Tobacco Reporter Archive

    Philip Morris International has reached its global company-wide target to improve gender balance, ensuring at least 40 percent female representation in managerial roles by 2022, according to a company press release.

    Jacek Olczak, CEO at PMI, commented, “I am immensely proud of PMI’s vision, commitment and achievement in ensuring equal opportunities are given to all in the workplace, irrespective of gender. Meeting this target demonstrates that our inclusion and diversity strategy is working. Diverse profiles, backgrounds and perspectives allow us to make better and more considered decisions as well as contribute to better and more sustainable performance. I firmly believe that a culture of fairness, inclusion and diversity [is] crucial to PMI’s progress in achieving a smoke-free future and will continue to benefit the company as we become more reflective of our consumer base.”

    “What gets measured really does get done,” said Silke Muenster, chief diversity officer. “This was a whole company effort requiring everyone to take responsibility. I am delighted that we have met our target on time but recognize that we still have a long way to go on our diversity, equity and inclusion journey. With this in mind, we have our next gender representation target: 35 percent of women in senior roles by 2025.

    “Having a truly diverse workforce is an essential part of our goal to achieve a smoke-free future. I am very proud of the progress we have made to date, and I am confident about achieving more in the future.”

    PMI has also been recertified as a global EQUAL-SALARY organization for the second time since 2019 by the independent EQUAL-SALARY Foundation. The recertification verifies that PMI continues to pay female and male employees equally for equal work in the more than 90 markets where PMI operates.

    The EQUAL-SALARY Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization based in Switzerland. The EQUAL-SALARY certification verifies that organizations have sustainable policies and practices to ensure that they pay their male and female employees equally for equal work.

  • PMI Suspends Operations in Ukraine

    PMI Suspends Operations in Ukraine

    Philip Morris International is suspending operations in Ukraine, including its factory in Kharkiv, following the invasion of Russian forces into the country, according to The Wall Street Journal.

    “The safety and security of our colleagues and their families is our primary concern, and we have, therefore, temporarily suspended our operations in Ukraine,” said PMI CEO Jacek Olczak. “Our employees are advised to stay at home or in any safe place and follow instructions from local authorities.”

    PMI has more than 1,300 employees in Ukraine. The country accounted for about 2 percent of PMI’s total cigarette and heated-tobacco shipment volume in 2021.

    PMI has stated that it has contingency plans in place to restart operations once conditions are safe.