British American Tobacco Plc ' onMouseout='HidePop("46273")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Bursa_Malaysia">KLSE
The Bursa Malaysia or Malaysia Exchange, MYX previously known as Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange dates back to 1930 when the Singapore Stockbrokers' Association was set up as a formal organisation dealing in securities in Malaya...
: BAT) is a leading global
tobaccoTobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as an organic pesticide, and in the form of nicotine tartrate it is used in some medicines. In consumption it most commonly appears in the forms of smoking, chewing, snuffing, or...
company. It is based in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
,
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
and is a constituent of the
FTSE 100 IndexThe FTSE 100 Index — also called FTSE 100, FTSE, or, informally, the "footsie" — is a share index of the 100 most highly capitalised UK companies listed on the London Stock Exchange...
.
History
The company's current form has its origins in 1902, when the United Kingdom's Imperial Tobacco Company and the
American Tobacco CompanyThe American Tobacco Company was founded in 1890 by J. B. Duke as a merger between a number of U.S. tobacco manufacturers including Allen and Ginter and Goodwin & Company...
of the USA agreed to form a joint venture, the British-American Tobacco Company Ltd. The parent companies agreed not to trade in each other's domestic territory and to assign trademarks, export businesses and overseas subsidiaries to the joint venture. James 'Buck' Duke became its chairman. The British American Tobacco business thus began life in countries as diverse as
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
,
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
, Germany,
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
,
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
and Australia, but not in the United Kingdom or USA.
In 1911 the American Tobacco Company sold its share of the company. Imperial Tobacco gradually reduced its shareholding, but it was not until 1980 that it divested its remaining interests in the company.
In 1976 the group companies were reorganised under a new holding company,
B.A.T Industries. In 1994 BAT acquired its former parent, American Tobacco Company (though reorganised after anti-trust proceedings). This brought the
Lucky StrikeLucky Strike is a famous brand of American cigarettes, often referred to as "Luckies".- History :The brand was first introduced by R.A. Patterson of Richmond, Virginia, in 1871 as cut-plug chewing tobacco and later a cigarette. In 1905, the company was acquired by the American Tobacco Company , and...
and
Pall MallPall Mall cigarettes are a brand of cigarettes produced by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and internationally by British American Tobacco at multiple sites.-History:...
brands into BAT's portfolio.
In 1999 it acquired Rothmans International, which included a share in a factory in Burma. This made it the target of criticism from human rights groups. It sold its share of the factory on 6 November 2003 after an "exceptional request" from the British government.
In 2003, BAT acquired
Ente Tabacchi Italiani (ETI) S.p.A, Italy's state tobacco company. The important acquisition would elevate BAT to the number two position in
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
, the second largest tobacco market in the European Union. The scale of the enlarged operations would bring significant opportunities to compete and grow ETI's local brands and BAT's international brands.
In January 2007, BAT closed its remaining UK production plant in
SouthamptonSouthampton is the largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
with the loss of over 600 jobs. However, the global Research and Development operation and some financial functions will continue on the site.
In 2008 BAT acquired Turkey's state-owned cigarette maker
TekelTekel, is a Turkish tobacco company. It was nationalised in 1925 from a French company, the "Regie Compagnie interessee des tabacs de l'empire Ottoman". Tekel evolved into the sole manufacturer and distributor of all alcohol and tobacco products in Turkey...
. In July 2008, BAT acquired the cigarette and
snusSnus is a moist powder tobacco product that is consumed by placing it under the lip for extended periods of time. It is a form of snuff that is used in a manner similar to American dipping tobacco, but typically does not result in the need for spitting...
operations of the
Scandinavian Tobacco CompanyThe Scandinavian Tobacco Company , is one of Denmark's largest international companies. It was formed in 1961 by merging the cigarette manufacturing parts of C.W. Obels Tobaksfabrik, Chr. Augustinus Fabrikker and R...
.
Tobacco brands
International
BrandA brand is a name or trademark connected with a product or producer. Brands have become increasingly important components of culture and the economy, now being described as "cultural accessories and personal philosophies".-Concepts:...
s include
DunhillDUNHILL cigarettes are a luxury brand of cigarettes made by the British American Tobacco company. They are usually priced above the average for cigarettes in the region where they are sold...
,
KentKent is a brand of cigarettes. Viceroy s were the first to introduce cigarette filters in 1936. Kent's Micronite filter was introduced shortly after the publication of a series of articles in Reader's Digest in 1952 entitled "Cancer by the Carton," that scared American consumers into seeking out a...
,
Lucky StrikeLucky Strike is a famous brand of American cigarettes, often referred to as "Luckies".- History :The brand was first introduced by R.A. Patterson of Richmond, Virginia, in 1871 as cut-plug chewing tobacco and later a cigarette. In 1905, the company was acquired by the American Tobacco Company , and...
,
Pall MallPall Mall cigarettes are a brand of cigarettes produced by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and internationally by British American Tobacco at multiple sites.-History:...
,
VogueVogue is a brand of cigarettes. It comes in several varieties, including regular, Menthol and Light. Vogue cigarettes are marketed in both king size and super slim, which is about 100mm long and thinner than a standard size cigarette. The brand is owned by British American Tobacco. British producer...
,
RothmansRothmans International plc was a British tobacco manufacturer. Its brands included Rothmans and Dunhill. Its international headquarters were in Hill Street, London and its international operations were run from Denham Place, Denham Village in Buckinghamshire...
,
Peter Stuyvesant-Places:* Stuyvesant, New York, a town in Columbia County, New York, United States* Stuyvesant Heights, Brooklyn, a neighborhood in Brooklyn* Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, a neighborhood in Brooklyn* Stuyvesant Street , a street in Manhattan...
,
Benson & HedgesBenson & Hedges is a British brand of cigarettes owned by the Gallaher Group, which became a subsidiary of Japan Tobacco in 2007. They are registered in Old Bond Street in London, and are manufactured in Lisnafillen, Ballymena, Northern Ireland for the UK and Irish markets. The cigarettes are...
,
WinfieldWinfield is a brand of cigarette that is popular in Australia and New Zealand. They are also sold in other markets in Europe, Canada, South Africa and Asia...
,
John PlayerJohn Player & Sons, known simply as Player's, was a tobacco and cigarette manufacturer, based in Nottingham, England. It is today part of the Imperial Tobacco Group.-History:John Player founded his company in the mid-19th century in Nottingham...
,
State Express 555State Express 555 is a brand of cigarette manufactured by British American Tobacco. It was first launched in 1895 and is a very popular brand in Asia, especially China where it is BAT's most popular brand.-Sponsorship:...
,
KOOLKOOL is a brand of menthol cigarette currently produced by the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, introduced in 1933, that has marketed itself towards the "sophisticated man". Originally introduced as an unfiltered "regular" size cigarette, filtered 85 mm king-size versions were later added to the...
, and
ViceroyViceroy cigarettes are made by Brown & Williamson, which was owned by British American Tobacco, and, since 2004, by Reynolds American Inc., a joint venture between the U.S. branch of British American Tobacco and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company....
. However, British American Tobacco does not necessarily own the rights to all of these brands in every nation they are marketed.
Local brands owned by British American Tobacco include,
Belmont- In Australia :* Belmont, New South Wales* Belmont State Park, in New South Wales* Belmont, Queensland* Belmont, Victoria* Belmont, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth* City of Belmont, a Local Government Area in Western Australia...
(
ChileChile, officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially titled Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It is a continental mainland with numerous islands located off its coastline in the Caribbean Sea...
), Jockey Club (
ArgentinaArgentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico,...
), Stradbroke (Australia), Souza Cruz (
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
),
du Maurierdu Maurier is a Canadian-centric brand of cigarettes, produced by Imperial Tobacco Canada, a subsidiary of British American Tobacco. The brand is named after Sir Gerald du Maurier, a British actor and manager...
(Canada),
PrincePrince, a cigarette brand by House of Prince A/S which is owned by Skandinavisk Tobakskompagni.Introduced 1957 by Chr. Augustinus Fabrikker in Denmark and today have approximately a 34% market share in Denmark. In Norway, Prince enjoys a market share of around 42%.Introduced 1961 in Sweden, 1967 in...
(
DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries; southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and it is bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea...
), North State (
FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
), HB (Germany), Sopianae (
HungaryHungary , in English officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Its capital is Budapest. Hungary is a member of OECD, NATO, EU, V4 and is a Schengen state...
), Wills (
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
), Ardath (
IndonesiaThe Republic of Indonesia is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia comprises 17,508 islands. With an estimated population of around 237 million people, it is the world's fourth most populous country, with the world's largest population of Muslims.Indonesia is a republic, with an...
), Carrolls, Carrolls Kings, Grand Parade, Black Allen (Germany),
Sweet AftonSweet Afton are a brand of Irish cigarettes produced by P.J. Carroll & Co., Dundalk, Ireland, a subsidiary of British American Tobacco. -Cigarette:Sweet Afton are short, unfiltered cigarettes made with Virginia tobacco.-Brand History:...
, Major (
IrelandIreland is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets. To the east of Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, is the island of Great Britain...
), Boots,
AlasThe term alas may refer to:* an interjection used to express regret, sorrow, or grief.* in geomorphology, a steep-sided depression formed by the melting of permafrost; it may contain a lake.* in zoology, a wing or winglike body part....
(
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
), Gold Leaf (
PakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia...
), Jan III Sobieski (
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
), Yava Gold (
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
), Courtleigh (South Africa), Parisienne (
SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
), Maltepe (
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
) and Xon (
UzbekistanUzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan , is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia, formerly part of the Soviet Union...
),
Craven ACraven A is a brand of cigarette which were made in Canada, Jamaica, and Vietnam. The cigarettes exhibit the English-style flavor of a Virginia-tobacco dominant blend, with that plant's attendant nutty sweetness. The cigarette was named after the third Earl of Craven in 1860.Craven A's were a...
(
VietnamVietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east...
and
JamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width, amounting to 11,100 km
2. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harboring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
) as well as BAT snus, Holiday, Freedom and Park Drive (New Zealand) Royals (UK)
On 11 June 2006, R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company announced that it would be manufacturing Camel brand snus in
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
in partnership with British American Tobacco; the product would be test-marketed in
Portland, OregonPortland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the state of Oregon. As of July 2008, it has an estimated population of 575,930, making it the 29th most populous in the United States. It has been referred to as the most...
and
Austin, TexasAustin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 15th-largest in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in the nation...
by the end of the month.
Other operations
BAT has diversified into various fields at different times in its history. Its U.S. retail division, BATUS Retail Group, acquired
Gimbel'sGimbel Brothers was an iconic American department store corporation from 1887 through the late 20th century. The name is often misspelled with an apostrophe. The store is known for creating the Gimbels Thanksgiving Day Parade, the oldest parade in the country. Gimbels was also once the largest...
,
Kohl'sKohl's Corporation is an American department store chain headquartered in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. The company currently operates 1,022 stores in 49 states. Kohl's mission, as stated in store and online, is to be the leading value-oriented, family-focused, specialty...
, and
Saks Fifth AvenueSaks Fifth Avenue is a luxury American specialty store owned and operated by Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises , a subsidiary of Saks Incorporated. It competes in the high-end specialty store market with Barneys New York, Bergdorf Goodman, Lord & Taylor and Neiman Marcus...
in the 1970s and
Marshall Field'sMarshall Field & Company was a department store in Chicago, Illinois that grew to become a major chain before being acquired by Macy's Inc...
and its divisions in 1982. The United Kingdom retail chain
ArgosArgos is the largest general-goods retailer in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland with over 700 stores. Argos is unique amongst major retailers in the U.K. because its primary means of displaying goods to customers is via a catalogue...
was purchased in 1979. Kohl's grocery stores were sold to
A&PThe Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, better known as A&P, is a 447-store supermarket chain with locations in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and the District of Columbia under several banners. Its corporate and U.S. headquarters are located in Montvale, New...
in 1983. In 1986, BATUS sold the Kohl's department stores and two Marshall Field's divisions,
The CrescentThe Crescent was a historic Spokane, Washington, department store. The company was once owned by Marshall Field & Company and was later sold to BATUS Retail Group. The stores were renamed Frederick & Nelson in 1988 and closed in 1992.-Beginnings:...
and
Frederick & NelsonFrederick & Nelson was a historic Seattle, Washington, department store founded in 1890. Acquired by Marshall Field & Company in 1929, it closed its doors in 1992. Its former Seattle flagship store is now occupied by the flagship Nordstrom location....
; BATUS closed Gimbel's the same year, with many locations being absorbed by sister division Marshall Field's. In 1990 Marshall Field's was sold to Dayton Hudson Corporation (now
Target CorporationTarget Corporation, usually known simply as Target, is an American retailing company that was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1902 as the Dayton Dry Goods Company. In 1962, the company opened its first Target store in nearby Roseville...
),
Ivey'sIvey's , a former department store chain, was acquired by Dillard's, Inc. in 1990. Ivey's was based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was founded in 1900 by Joseph Benjamin Ivey.-History:...
(another Marshall Field's division) was sold to
Dillard'sDillard's , based in Little Rock, Arkansas, is a major department store chain in the United States, with 330 stores in 29 states. Its locations are concentrated in Texas and Florida; with a major presence in other states including Arizona, Iowa, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Alabama, Georgia,...
, Saks Fifth Avenue was sold to
Investcorp S.A.Investcorp is a provider and manager of alternative investment products, serving high-net-worth private and institutional clients. Principally, Investcorp is an investment intermediary, acting as a vehicle to channel the wealth of its clients in the Persian Gulf into investments in the United...
, and Argos was demerged (Argos was acquired by previous parent company GUS plc in 1998).
The group was a major financial services company with the acquisitions of
Eagle StarThe Eagle Star Insurance Company plc was a leading British insurance business. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
(1984),
Allied DunbarAllied Dunbar was a large British insurance company. In its early years as Hambro Life Assurance it was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index...
(1985) and the
Farmers Group, Inc.The Farmers Insurance Group of Companies is a personal lines property and casualty insurance group providing homeowners insurance, auto insurance, life insurance, and financial services in the United States. It is the third largest insurance group in the US servicing over 10 million households in...
(1988). Around 1996 British American Tobacco merged their financial operations into a single operating unit, British American Financial Services (BAFS). This division was merged with Zurich Insurance Company in 1998 to form the
Zurich Financial Services GroupZurich Financial Services AG is a major financial services group based in Zürich, Switzerland.-History:The Company was founded in 1872 as subsidiary of the Schweiz Marine Insurance Company under the name Versicherung Verein...
. B.A.T still owns the minority interest in Zurich.
Senior management
Paul Adams has been chief executive since January 2004. His total annual compensation for this role is £2,092,257, consisting of a £1,076,641 salary and a £1,015,616 bonus.
Advertising and promotion
BAT have found many imaginative ways over the years to keep its brands in the public eye. As recently as 1996 they secured an arrangement to sponsor the
Cricket World CupThe Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years....
which was branded the "Wills World Cup" and thereby achieved a high level of brand recognition for the Wills cigarette brand in India where young cricket fans were a key target market.
BAT also sponsor the London Symphony Orchestra.
Motor sport
The success of
Formula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1, and currently officially referred to as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants...
motor racing has largely been built on tobacco sponsorship, including that of BAT. In 1997 BAT brought its participation in the sport to new levels with the purchase of the
TyrrellThe Tyrrell Racing Organisation was an auto racing team and Formula One constructor founded by Ken Tyrrell which started racing in 1958 and started building its own cars in 1970. The team experienced its greatest success in the early 1970s, when it won three drivers' championships and one...
team for approximately £30 million. The team raced as Tyrrell for the 1998 season before being renamed as
British American RacingBritish American Racing was a Formula One constructor that competed in the sport from 1999 to 2005. BAR began by acquiring Tyrrell, and used Supertec engines for their first year...
(BAR). BAT used the team to advertise major brands, particularly Lucky Strike and State Express 555.
Although Formula One is an exceptionally expensive sport, for BAT the high cost of running an F1 team was justified as a promotional expense because there were few other opportunities for brand promotion. However in 2005 a
European UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 Member States, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community...
(EU) directive was brought into force which required national governments to legislate to prevent tobacco sponsorship. The livery of cars competing at circuits outside of EU jurisdiction can continue (in some cases) to promote tobacco brands but these opportunities are declining as anti-tobacco legislation begins to bite.
In 2004 BAR announced that technology partner
Hondais a Japanese multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles. Honda is the world's largest manufacturer of motorcycles as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume. Honda surpassed Nissan in 2001 to become...
had purchased a 45% stake and in September 2005 it announced that Honda would be buying the remaining 55% stake. The team raced as
Honda Racing F1 TeamHonda Racing F1 Team was a Formula One team run by Japanese car manufacturer Honda, from 1964 to 1968 and from 2006 to 2008. Honda's involvement in F1 began with the 1964 season; their withdrawal in 1968 was precipitated by the death of Honda driver Jo Schlesser during the 1968 French Grand Prix. ...
in 2006, the last year of the Lucky Strike sponsorship before leaving the sport. For the
2006 seasonThe 2006 Formula One season was the 57th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It began on March 12, and ended on October 22, after eighteen rounds. The Drivers' Championship was won by Fernando Alonso of Renault F1 for the second year in a row, with Alonso becoming the youngest ever double...
, the team was renamed as Honda F1 Racing Team, with BAT only advertised at a couple of races. All links between the two companies were severed for
2007The 2007 Formula One season was the 58th FIA Formula One World Championship season. It began on 18 March and ended on 21 October after seventeen Grands Prix. The Drivers' Championship was won by Ferrari driver Kimi Räikkönen by one point at the final race of the season, making Räikkönen the third...
.
Controversy
In 2008 the company was the subject of a BBC2 documentary, in which
Duncan BannatyneDuncan Bannatyne, OBE is a Scottish entrepreneur, philanthropist and best selling author. His business interests include Health Clubs, Hotels, Media, TV, Stage Schools, Property and Transport. He is most famous for his appearance as a business angel on the BBC programme Dragons' Den...
investigated the marketing practices of the company in Africa and specifically the way the company targets younger Africans with branded music events, competitions and the sale of single cigarette sticks. Many of the practices uncovered by Bannatyne appeared to break BAT's own code of conduct and company standards. Towards the end of the programme, Bannatyne interviewed Dr Chris Proctor, Head of Science and Regulation, in which Proctor admitted that advertisements targeting children from three African countries were 'disappointing'.
British American Tobacco was declared the winner of the 2008
Roger AwardThe Roger Award For The Worst Transnational Corporation Operating in New Zealand is an annual media campaign run since 1997 by two activist organisations, Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa and GATT Watchdog...
, the award for the worst transnational corporation
operating in
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
.
British American Tobacco spent more than €700,000 lobbying the EU in 2008, up to four times as much as the company declared on the EU's register of interest representatives, according to a report by
Corporate Europe ObservatoryCorporate Europe Observatory , is a non-profit research and campaign group targeting threats to democracy, equity, social justice, and the environment by economic powers and political powers of corporations...
. The
report argues that BAT's hidden lobbying activities, which are clearly not in the public interest, should be exposed to public scrutiny.
External links
- British American Tobacco
- Yahoo! - British American Tobacco plc Company Profile
- British American Tobacco plc historical stock chart
- BAT 'dragged out' of Burma; The Guardian; November 7, 2003
- George Monbiot
George Joshua Richard Monbiot is a British journalist, columnist, author, academic, and environmental and political activist. Now based in Wales, he writes a weekly column for The Guardian newspaper...
, The GuardianThe Guardian is a British daily newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. Founded in 1821, it is unique among major British newspapers in being owned by a foundation .The Guardian Weekly, which circulates worldwide, provides a compact digest of four newspapers...
, 23 August 2005, "Smoke and mirrors"