Gallaher Group is a major
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based
multinationalA multi national corporation or enterprise , is a corporation or an enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. It can also be referred to as an international corporation...
tobacco company. It was traded on the
London Stock ExchangeThe London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
and was 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....
, prior to its April 2007 acquisition by
Japan Tobacco, abbreviated JT, is a cigarette manufacturing company. It is part of the Nikkei 225 index. In 2009 the company was listed at number 312 on the Fortune 500 list. The company is headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo. The international headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland.-History:The company...
.
History
The business was originally founded in 1857 by
Tom GallaherThomas Gallaher was the founder of Gallaher Group, one of the largest cigarette manufacturers in the United Kingdom.-Career:...
in
DerryDerry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, Ireland. By 1896, he had opened the largest tobacco factory in the world in
BelfastBelfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. The business was incorporated on 28 March 1896 to "carry on in all their branches the businesses of tobacco, cigar, cigarettes and snuff manufacture".
Formerly produced in London and Dublin, Gallagher's moved its production to Belfast (cigarettes) and Wales (cigars) in the early 20th century.
On 4 August 2000 Gallaher completed acquisition of Liggett Ducat, Russia's number one cigarette brand. In January 2002, Gallaher became the 100% owner of Austria's former nationalised biggest tobacco-company Austria Tabak.
In 2002 US tobacco firm Reynolds formed Reynolds-Gallaher International to give the manufacturer access to cigarette sales in most countries in the European Union. It was scheduled to run through 2012 but in May 2007, as a result of the acquisition of Gallaher Group by Japan Tobacco, it was announced that this joint-venture would cease in November.
The closure of the former JR Freemans factory in
CardiffCardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
was announced in September 2007, with all work scheduled to move to the
BallymenaBallymena is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland and the seat of Ballymena Borough Council. Ballymena had a population of 28,717 people in the 2001 Census....
factory by September 2009.
Japan Tobacco, abbreviated JT, is a cigarette manufacturing company. It is part of the Nikkei 225 index. In 2009 the company was listed at number 312 on the Fortune 500 list. The company is headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo. The international headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland.-History:The company...
became the sole owner of the Gallaher Group on 18 April 2007, in the largest ever foreign acquisition in Japanese history. JT has made tentative plans to close Gallaher's head office in Weybridge, with implications for 330 jobs.
Operations
Gallaher operates primarily in the United Kingdom and Europe, with much smaller operations in Central Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Gallaher is the third largest of the three major British tobacco groups; the other two are
British American TobaccoBritish American Tobacco p.l.c. is a global tobacco company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s second largest quoted tobacco company by global market share , with a leading position in more than 50 countries and a presence in more than 180 countries...
and
Imperial TobaccoImperial Tobacco is a global tobacco company headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom. It is the world’s fourth-largest cigarette company measured by market share , and the world's largest producer of cigars, fine-cut tobacco and tobacco papers...
.
Gallaher brands include
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.-History:Benson & Hedges...
,
Silk CutSilk Cut is brand of low tar cigarette produced by the Gallaher Group. The packaging is characterised by a distinctive stark white packet with the brand name in a purple, blue, red, silver, white or green square....
,
SterlingSterling are a British cigarette brand owned by parent company the Gallaher Group, which became a subsidiary of Japan Tobacco in 2007.-About:...
,
MayfairMayfair is a brand of cigarettes, produced by Gallaher Group. The brand is available in seven versions; Fine King Size, King Size, King Size Smooth, Menthol, Superkings, Superkings Menthol and Superkings Smooth. Gallaher launched Mayfair in 1992, with the slogan "A good smoke at a fair price". ...
,
NilNil is a brand of cigarette which is sold in Austria, the Czech Republic and Germany produced by the Gallaher Group, a subsidiary of Japan Tobacco. Originally, it was a product of the Austrian "Tabakregie", now "Austria Tobacco". In Germany, it is one of the oldest brands that are still on the market...
,
Kensitas ClubClub , is a brand of cigarette distributed by Gallaher tobacco and available only in the United Kingdom.Club comes in a distinct blue packaging with club written on it and a lion's head on the packet....
,
Senior ServiceSenior Service is a brand of filterless cigarette made by the Gallaher Group, named after the nickname of the Royal Navy. The brand's logo is that of a sailing ship. Originally launched in the UK in 1925, currently available in both filtered and Superking-sized variants....
,
Amber LeafAmber Leaf is a brand of rolling tobacco. It is a product of JT International. It is available in various size packets . It includes free rolling papers. In 2011 promotional Amber Leaf tobacco tins were sold with the tobacco in some stores UK.It can also be mixed with Coffem which would create a...
,
SobranieThe Sobranie cigarette brand is one of the oldest tobacco brands in the world. Sobranie of London was established in 1879 by the Redstone family, when cigarettes had just become fashionable in Europe. Several generations of the Redstone family blended this tobacco from a secret formula.The...
and
Hamlet CigarsHamlet is a well known brand of cigar produced by Japan Tobacco. They are available in several varieties, miniatures and also a regular length. They are regularly referred to as the 'mild cigar' in their advertising....
.