Cigarettes

Almost uniquely among fmcg industries, tobacco legislation is not simply a guiding element or a means of enforcing consumer standards but a central determining factor in the performance of tobacco markets. As the cumulative de-normalising impact of…

As traditional cigarette consumption continues to decline globally due to health consciousness and rising pack prices, PMI’s goal of a smoke-free future sees the company continue to shift its focus away from its cigarettes portfolio towards reduced…

Although UnionPay is the largest card operator globally by card payment value, it is still far behind Visa and Mastercard outside China across all card segments. Besides commercial cards, its mobile app and QR, in which it has been expanding,…

Japan Tobacco Inc is the world’s third largest international tobacco company, which holds its strongest position in its sharply declining domestic Japanese market. It has substantial shares in the Eastern and Western Europe regions that are also…

The results of Imperial Brands’ new strategy, aiming to consolidate its market share in its five largest combustible cigarette markets where the company has long-standing presence while gradually placing more resources on novel tobacco…

The pandemic caused notable behavioural change in most consumers, with government regulations contributing to disparate affects on the channel distribution, brand success and overall growth of cigarette markets across Western Europe. Rising taxation,…

The end of the COVID-19 era and the removal of associated restrictions led to a boost in cigarettes sales in 2022. Vietnamese consumers have re-embraced their out-of-home lifestyles and social activities, which has ultimately led to higher incidences…

Following a period of decline, retail volume sales of cigarettes showed a more positive trend in 2022. This was supported in part by a rise in the Uzbek population as well as a rise in immigrants from Russia. The war in Ukraine led to the…

Several factors contributed to a significant drop in volume sales of cigarettes in 2022. Smoking prevalence is gradually declining as authorities’ efforts to stem smoking are bearing fruit. In addition, in 2022, inflation was high, caused by global…

Cigarettes recorded a strong unit volume decline in 2022, losing around a fifth of their sales in this year. However, given the backdrop in the country during 2022, cigarettes could actually be said to have showed a slightly better performance than…

Retail volume sales of cigarettes in Turkey declined sharply in 2022. The contraction was mainly due to spiralling inflation fuelled by the depreciation of the lira, the global recovery from the pandemic and the fallout of Russia’s invasion of…

It was a negative year for cigarettes in 2022, with a significant fall in volume sales and with illicit sales accounting for over a quarter of volume sales – a figure that has been increasing since 2020. This was in spite of smoking prevalence…

Cigarettes in the US saw declines in both retail volume and current value terms in 2023. High inflationary pressure led to increased consumer spending on groceries, entertainment, fuel, and more, ultimately negatively impacting the consumption of…

In 2021, cigarettes recorded positive volume growth for the first time since 2009, mainly due to travel restrictions, with consumers being unable to purchase cigarettes in duty free or via illicit trade, driving sales towards taxable UK channels,…

The cigarettes category in the United Arab Emirates is becoming less fragmented, with most volumes now being generated by the top global manufacturers. In 2022, brands from Philip Morris Management Services (Middle East) Ltd and Imperial Tobacco…

In spite of the efforts of incumbent players to put forward cost containment measures in order to retain prices as much as possible, 2022 proved to be a challenging year for cigarette industry players. With the higher excise taxes in 2022, cigarette…

Some smokers have been switching to cheaper brands of cigarettes in order to reduce their expenditure on these products. This was being driven by the reduction in purchasing power as a result of the high inflation rates being seen in the Netherlands,…

A worsening economic situation in 2023 had a significant effect on cigarettes in the Czech Republic. While lower than in 2022, the rate of inflation in the Czech Republic remained high, exerting upward pressure on production and transportation costs…

The cigarette market in Thailand has seen a significant decline in recent years due to increasing health concerns, government regulations, and higher taxes on tobacco products. The Thai Government has implemented several policies to reduce tobacco…

The Taiwanese authorities continue to be active in discouraging the usage of tobacco products via both health campaigns and enforceable restrictions that limit consumers’ smoking occasions. Moreover, under new laws the legal smoking age will be…

The long-term trend of declining volume sales of cigarettes continued in 2022, with consumers increasingly aware of the levels of harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke. Cigarettes posted negative performances in both retail volume and current value…

Sweden’s smoking population is extremely low by European and indeed global standards, with numbers continuing to decline in 2022 as consumers transition away from cigarettes. This translated into another year of decline for cigarettes, at least in…

Cigarettes saw positive growth in retail volume terms in 2022, with sales being driven by an increase in tourism, the return of cross-border purchases and an increase in out-of-home activities and social events. Nonetheless, despite these growth…

In 2022, cigarettes saw a slight retail volume decline in South Korea. However, the decline was much more moderate compared with pre-COVID 19 years. The domestic market absorbed a great share of duty-free cigarettes. While borders reopened in 2022,…

Tobacco faced sanctions in 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown, which saw all tobacco product sales temporarily prohibited, encouraging the illicit trade in cigarettes, which accounted for around a third of overall sales in this year. Following the…

Volume sales increased significantly in 2022, in spite of high inflation stemming from the energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. Part of the reason for the increased consumption of cigarettes was high stress levels, due to the uncertain…

Rising inflation in addition to further excise tax hikes helped to shift cigarette smokers towards other categories in 2022, including smoking tobacco and vaping. Under such economic conditions retail volume growth has remained under pressure with…

The extension of smoking prohibited areas was implemented on 1 July 2022 to incorporate new premises. Smoking at reservoirs, selected public parks, and gardens was last revised in June 2016 in an effort to protect non-smokers who visit these areas…

In 2022, there was a further fall in volume sales. Twice yearly tax hikes on cigarettes, which are scheduled to continue until 2025, are making cigarettes very expensive. This was on top of high inflation in 2022, which was caused by an energy…

British American Tobacco Plc (BAT) maintains its company lead (in both NBO and GBO terms) in cigarettes, while Marlboro Red from Philip Morris International Inc (PMI) is the top brand, with Marlboro variants pipping BAT’s Dunhill Carlton to the post.…

Retail volume growth in 2022 was boosted by a recovery in socialising following the total elimination of COVID-19 restrictions in March of the same year. The elimination of restrictions was brought about by a substantial reduction in COVID-19…

Although smoking prevalence continued to decline in Portugal, despite the gradual shift to non-combustible products, retail volume and current value sales increased in 2022. The recovery of tourism in the aftermath of the pandemic supported a rebound…

Although smoking prevalence among the local population continued to decline in 2022, retail sales of cigarettes continued to rise in value and volume terms. The ongoing decline of illicit cigarettes has boosted retail volume sales in Poland, with…

Illicit trade of cigarettes is a very significant issue, with more than half of volume sales in 2022 believed to be from illicit channels. The problem has become even more acute since 2020. One reason for the increased appetite for illicit cigarettes…

Retail volume sales of cigarettes decreased in 2022. In general, demand dropped due to higher taxes, as well as customer migration amongst traditional smokers, to other products, but also cheaper cigarettes brands. Meanwhile, many young consumers of…

In 2022, the retail volume sales of cigarettes experienced a decline in Norway as a result of the reopening of borders and the resumption of cross-border trade, particularly with Sweden. The popularity of tobacco products in cross-border trade and…

Cigarettes continued to decline in volume terms in 2022 as a result of the trend of waning smoking prevalence. The generational shift has contributed to enhancing the influence of the increasingly prominent health and wellness trend, which is driving…

Retail volume sales of cigarettes in Nigeria declined marginally in 2022. This was mainly because steep increases in unit prices gave many smokers a greater incentive to quit or cut down, particularly as high inflation eroded purchasing power and…

Smoking prevalence in New Zealand has continued to experience a steady decline in recent years. This can be attributed to various factors, such as increasing health awareness, significant unit price increases driven by annual tax hikes, and strict…

After an increase in the Internal Consumption Tax (TIC) on tobacco in January 2021, there was a rise in April 2021 and further increase in January 2023, building on the increase from 2020. This had a particularly pronounced effect on volume sales of…

Since the pandemic, an increasing number of Mexicans have become more aware of health and self-care, encouraging them to take greater interest in leading healthier lifestyles, improving their diets, exercising more frequently, and aspiring to have…

Overall, economy and premium cigarettes gained retail volume share at the expense of mid-priced brands in 2022. The main reason for this trend was derived from high inflation, which drove high living costs and informed expenditure on cigarettes. Many…

Retail volume sales of cigarettes continued declining in 2022 and at a faster rate than during the previous year. Consumers are already aware of the threat posed by smoking, but the pandemic created a more immediate threat which served as further…

Retail volume sales of cigarettes generated positive growth during 2022, despite the declines seen in smoking prevalence in the country over the course of the year. The main reason for this seemingly anomalous situation is the significant decline…

Cigarettes are set to decrease over the forecast period due to increasing regulatory and socioeconomic pressures. Consumers are increasingly trading down or preferring the illicit market. International brands are well placed to capture growth via…

There is a high level of illegal trade/counterfeit tobacco products in Kenya, especially cigarettes. These products manage to enter the country through porous borders and continuously pose a challenge to local manufacturers while damaging the overall…

In 2022, there was a significant fall in volume sales. Authorities in Kazakhstan have been implementing tough anti-tobacco policies and these are bearing fruit, with smoking prevalence falling in 2022. A further rise in excise duty was another…

In 2022, cigarettes continued to record a decline in retail volume sales. However, the decline was the smallest in recent years, thanks to the end of tax increases. The government conducted a reform of the tobacco tax scheme from 2018 to 2022, to…

Cigarettes saw a slightly stronger volume decline in 2022 than witnessed in 2021, as the era of the COVID-19 pandemic has come to an end and consumers have returned to their out-of-home lifestyles. This decline is to be expected, as the circumstances…

The tobacco industry in Israel has seen consistent price increases over the review period. In 2022, the price of a cigarette package increased by NIS1, and there was an additional NIS1 increase in January 2023.