Middle East

Smoking tobacco, especially pipe tobacco, continues to dominate sales in the category, representing the water pipe tobacco (shisha), while cigars and cigarillos remain niche, with low popularity and a very select audience. Although cafés and…

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.…

Although tobacco usage is declining globally, the United Arab Emirates maintains strong and rising consumer demand, and consistent growth was seen within the industry in 2022. After some turbulence in the growth rate due to COVID-19, most tobacco…

The product range available in open vaping systems in the United Arab Emirates has expanded, as Vaporesso entered the market in 2022. Vaporesso is a premium vape brand that is now present in 50 markets. It is from Shenzhen Smoore Technology Co Ltd,…

Amongst all the established traditional alternatives to cigarettes, pipe tobacco is the only one still growing as fast as cigarettes, while cigars, cigarillos, and fine cut tobacco are also seeing growth, but at a slower rate. One of the reasons is…

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…

A strict approach towards the sale of tobacco products and smoking in public and educational campaigns form the core of Qatar’s efforts to reduce smoking prevalence. Qatar has modernised and promulgated its tobacco laws in recent years and this…

The ongoing economic crisis in 2022 has forced many smokers to abandon imported global cigarette brands as prices have risen steeply, with local brand Cedars the big winner. Low awareness of the harms of smoking means that few smokers have chosen to…

Tobacco remains under pressure in 2022, despite the pandemic coming to an end. Cigarettes continues to see volume decline, while cigars and cigarillos have returned to growth after witnessing decline in 2021. The outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020…

While the COVID-19 pandemic did not negatively impact tobacco in 2022, tax-paid cigarettes remain under pressure due to rising taxes, falling income levels and the strong presence of illicit trade. Despite more intense efforts to control smuggling,…