Imperial Tobacco is a global
tobaccoTobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
company headquartered in
BristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, United Kingdom. It is the world’s fourth-largest cigarette company measured by market share (after
Philip Morris InternationalPhilip Morris International is an international tobacco company, with products sold in over 160 countries. In 2007, it held a 15.6% share of the international cigarette market outside of the USA and reported revenues net of excise taxes of $22.8 billion and operating income of $8.9 billion.Until...
,
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
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...
), and the world's largest producer of cigars,
fine-cut tobaccoShag, also known as rolling tobacco and loose tobacco is fine-cut tobacco used to make self-made cigarettes by hand rolling the tobacco into rolling paper or injecting it into filter tubes. It got its name from the finely cut strands appearing like 'shag' and was originally considered poor quality...
and tobacco papers. It produces over 320 billion cigarettes per year, has 51 factories worldwide and its products are sold in over 160 countries. Its brands include
DavidoffDavidoff is a Swiss luxury tobacco goods brand name, which is carried by a range of products including cigars, cigarettes and pipe tobaccos. Its cigarette brand is currently owned by Imperial Tobacco but the company is otherwise independently owned....
,
WestWest is a German tobacco brand owned by the British company Imperial Tobacco.The cigarettes are available in most European Union countries except the UK and Ireland. The brand is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.-History:...
, Gauloises Blondes, Montecristo,
DrumDrum is a brand of fine-cut handrolling tobacco, or shag. It was originally produced and distributed by the Douwe Egberts corporation. Douwe Egberts was purchased by the Sara Lee Corporation, which sold Drum to Imperial Tobacco, the current British producer...
(the world's second-largest-selling fine-cut tobacco) and
RizlaRizLa+ , known in English as Rizla is a brand of rolling papers and cigarette tubes or blanks in which tobacco is rolled or stuffed to form handmade cigarettes....
(the world’s best-selling rolling paper).
Imperial Tobacco is listed 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 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
20th century
The Imperial Tobacco Company was created in 1901 through the amalgamation of thirteen British tobacco and cigarette companies:
W.D. & H.O. WillsW.D. & H.O. Wills was a British tobacco importer and cigarette manufacturer formed in Bristol, England. It was one of the founding companies of Imperial Tobacco.-History:...
of
BristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
(the leading manufacturer of tobacco-based products at that time),
John Player & SonsJohn Player & Sons, known simply as Player's, was a tobacco and cigarette manufacturer based in Nottingham, England. It is today a part of the Imperial Tobacco Group.-History:...
of
NottinghamNottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
and 11 other independent family businesses, which were being threatened by competition from the United States in the form of
James Buchanan DukeJames Buchanan Duke was a U.S. tobacco and electric power industrialist best known for his involvement with Duke University.-Personal life:...
and his
American Tobacco CompanyThe American Tobacco Company was a tobacco company founded in 1890 by J. B. Duke through a merger between a number of U.S. tobacco manufacturers including Allen and Ginter and Goodwin & Company...
. First W. D. & H. O. Wills of
BristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
merged with
Stephen Mitchell & SonStephen Mitchell first established a tobacco manufacturing business in Linlithgow in Scotland in 1723.His great grandson, also Stephen Mitchell , was born in Linlithgow on 19 September 1789. On the death of his own father in 1820 Stephen continued the family business, transferring it in 1825 to...
of
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. Subsequently other smaller companies including
Lambert & ButlerLambert & Butler is a British cigarette brand launched in 1979. The brand sells £1.379 billion worth of cigarettes every year. Due to Imperial Tobacco not owning the copyright on the original name, Lambert & Butler is known in some countries as L&B or Great & British...
,
William Clarke & SonWilliam Clarke & Son was a tobacco company that was founded in 1830 at South Main Street, Cork, Ireland.In January 1924, following the formation of the Irish Free State, the United Kingdom trade of William Clarke & Son was transferred to Dublin and taken over by Ogden's....
, Franklyn Davey, Edwards Ringer, J&F Bell and F&J Smith joined in the amalgamation. The Company's first Chairman was
William Henry WillsWilliam Henry Wills, 1st Baron Winterstoke , known as Sir William Wills, Bt, between 1893 and 1906, was a British businessman, philanthropist and Liberal politician.-Background:...
of the Wills Company.
In 1902 the Imperial Tobacco Company and the
American Tobacco CompanyThe American Tobacco Company was a tobacco company founded in 1890 by J. B. Duke through a merger between a number of U.S. tobacco manufacturers including Allen and Ginter and Goodwin & Company...
agreed to form a joint venture: the
British-American Tobacco Company LtdBritish 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...
. 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. American Tobacco sold its share in 1911 but Imperial maintained an interest in British American Tobacco until 1980. In 1973 the Imperial Tobacco Company, having become increasingly diversified by acquisition of (amongst others) restaurant chains, food services and distribution businesses, changed its name to
Imperial Group.
In 1985, the Company acquired the
Peoples DrugPeoples Drug was a chain of drug stores based in Alexandria, VA, a suburb of Washington, D.C.. Founded in 1904, Peoples was subsequently purchased by Lane Drug in 1975, Imasco in 1984, and finally by CVS in 1990, which continued to run the stores under the Peoples banner until 1994, at which time...
store chain and all subsidiaries from A. C. Israel. In 1986 the Company was acquired by the conglomerate
Hanson Trust plcHanson plc is a British based international building materials company, headquartered in Maidenhead. Traded on the London Stock Exchange and a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index for many years, the company was acquired by a division of German rival Heidelberg Cement in August 2007.-History:Hanson...
for £2.5billion. Divestments during the period of ownership by Hanson included Courage Brewery to
EldersElders Limited is an Australian based agribusiness company.It was founded in 1839 in South Australia by Alexander Lang Elder as a new arm of his family's Scottish based merchant and shipping business. Its core business was a trading company and commission agent for wool and other agricultural...
,
Golden WonderGolden Wonder is a British company that manufactures snack foods, most notably crisps.-History:Founded in Stoneyburn in 1947 by the Scottish bakery owner William Alexander, the company was named after the Golden Wonder potato. The company was acquired by UK-based Dalgety plc in 1987...
to
DalgetyDalgety plc was a major British conglomerate. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
, Finlays to A J Patel, the wholesaling arm of Sinclair & Collis to Palmer & Harvey, Imperial Hotels and Catering to Trust House Forte and
Ross Frozen FoodsThe Ross Group was a British food company founded in Grimsby, England in 1920.The Ross brand remains common in the retail frozen fish market...
to
United Biscuits__FORCETOC__United Biscuits is a British multinational food manufacturer, makers of the BN biscuits, McVitie's biscuits, KP Nuts, Hula Hoops, The Real McCoy's crisps, Phileas Fogg snacks, Jacob's Cream Crackers, and Twiglets...
. This also led to a dispute over pension payments to employees, as seen in
Imperial Group Pension Trust Ltd v Imperial Tobacco LtdImperial Group Pension Trust Ltd v Imperial Tobacco Ltd [1991] 1 WLR 589 is an English trust law case, especially relevant for UK labour law and UK company law, concerning pension funds and the implementation of a poison pill.-Facts:...
. In 1996, following a decision to concentrate on core tobacco activities, Hanson de-merged Imperial and it was listed as an independent company on the UK stock exchange.
21st century
In 2003 Imperial acquired the world's then fourth largest tobacco company,
Reemtsma Cigarettenfabriken GmbHReemtsma Cigarettenfabriken GmbH is one of the biggest tobacco and cigarette producers in Europe and a subsidiary of Imperial Tobacco. The company's headquarter is in Hamburg, Germany.- History :...
of Germany: the deal added brands such as
DavidoffDavidoff is a Swiss luxury tobacco goods brand name, which is carried by a range of products including cigars, cigarettes and pipe tobaccos. Its cigarette brand is currently owned by Imperial Tobacco but the company is otherwise independently owned....
,
Peter StuyvesantPeter Stuyvesant , served as the last Dutch Director-General of the colony of New Netherland from 1647 until it was ceded provisionally to the English in 1664, after which it was renamed New York...
and
WestWest is a German tobacco brand owned by the British company Imperial Tobacco.The cigarettes are available in most European Union countries except the UK and Ireland. The brand is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.-History:...
to its portfolio. In 2007 Imperial Tobacco entered the United States tobacco market with its $1.9 billion acquisition of Commonwealth Brands Inc, then the fourth largest tobacco company in the US. In February 2008, Imperial acquired the world's then fifth largest tobacco company
AltadisAltadis is a multinational purveyor and manufacturer of cigarettes, tobacco and cigars. Altadis was formed via a 1999 merger between Tabacalera, the former Spanish tobacco monopoly and SEITA, the former French tobacco monopoly...
whose brands included
FortunaFortuna is a brand of cigarettes owned by Franco-Spanish company Altadis, and hence a sub-section of British tobacco group Imperial Tobacco. Fortuna contains a blend of American tobacco made mainly from Virginia-type tobacco...
, Gauloises Blondes and
GitanesGitanes is a brand of French cigarettes, sold in many varieties of strengths and packages. It is currently owned by Imperial Tobacco following their acquisition of Altadis in January 2008, having been owned by SEITA before that. Originally rolled with darker or brun tobacco, in contrast to...
.
Following the
Scottish Parliament'sThe Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
decision in January 2010 to ban the display of tobacco products in shops as well as the availability of tobacco vending machines in public buildings with effect from autumn 2011, Imperial Tobacco attempted to challenge the change in the law on the grounds that regulations of the sale goods rested with the Houses of Parliament in
WestminsterWestminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
. However, this case was dismissed on 30 September 2010 by Lord Bracadale at the
Court of SessionThe Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland, and constitutes part of the College of Justice. It sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh and is both a court of first instance and a court of appeal....
in
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
.
Tobacco
- All JTI
, 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...
products in Australia – CamelCamel is a brand of cigarettes that was introduced by American company R.J. Reynolds Tobacco in the summer of 1913. Most current Camel cigarettes contain a blend of Turkish tobacco and Virginia tobacco. Early in 2008 the blend was changed as was the package design.-History:In 1913, R.J...
, MoreMore is a brand of cigarette which was originally marketed to both men and women and then changed its primary focus to women consumers. It typically has a dark brown wrapper and is typically 120 mm in length...
, Mild SevenMild Seven is a brand of cigarettes produced by Japan Tobacco. Mild Seven cigarettes are the third widest smoked cigarette in the world, behind Marlboro and Camel. Manufactured originally in Tokyo, by Japanese Tobacco Inc. it has been a top seller since its creation in 1977...
, etc.
- Ducados
- Brandon's
- Davidoff
Davidoff is a Swiss luxury tobacco goods brand name, which is carried by a range of products including cigars, cigarettes and pipe tobaccos. Its cigarette brand is currently owned by Imperial Tobacco but the company is otherwise independently owned....
- Embassy
Embassy is a brand of cigarettes from Imperial Tobacco. First sold in 1914 and relaunched as a coupon brand in 1962, in 1976 they were invited to sponsor the World Snooker Championships, which they did from then until 2005 at which time they had to pull out due to the UK government's ban on tobacco...
- Escort
- Excellence
- Fortuna
Fortuna is a brand of cigarettes owned by Franco-Spanish company Altadis, and hence a sub-section of British tobacco group Imperial Tobacco. Fortuna contains a blend of American tobacco made mainly from Virginia-type tobacco...
- Gauloises
Gauloises is a brand of cigarette of French manufacture. It is produced by the company Imperial Tobacco following their acquisition of Altadis in January 2008.- Cigarette :...
- Gitanes
Gitanes is a brand of French cigarettes, sold in many varieties of strengths and packages. It is currently owned by Imperial Tobacco following their acquisition of Altadis in January 2008, having been owned by SEITA before that. Originally rolled with darker or brun tobacco, in contrast to...
- Horizon
- John Player Special (JPS)
- Lambert & Butler
Lambert & Butler is a British cigarette brand launched in 1979. The brand sells £1.379 billion worth of cigarettes every year. Due to Imperial Tobacco not owning the copyright on the original name, Lambert & Butler is known in some countries as L&B or Great & British...
(the UK's best-selling cigarette brand)
- Mark Fernyhough cigarettes
- Moon
- Peter Jackson
- Peter Stuyvesant
- Prima
- R1
- Regal
Regal or Embassy Regal as they are also known, is a brand of UK cigarette produced by Imperial Tobacco. Available at supermarkets for £6.81 per packet of 20, they are classed as a "premium" brand cigarette and one of the most expensive available in the United Kingdom...
- Richmond
Richmond are a value brand of tobacco cigarettes re-introduced into UK markets in 1999. They come in the following varieties: Regular, Gold and Menthol - all three in King Size and Superking sizes...
- Route 66
- Royale
- Superkings
Superkings are a popular brand of cigarette produced by Imperial Tobacco that is available in the United Kingdom and Ireland and Australia but various other brands of a similar name may exist around the world....
- West
West is a German tobacco brand owned by the British company Imperial Tobacco.The cigarettes are available in most European Union countries except the UK and Ireland. The brand is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.-History:...
Other products
- Drum
Drum is a brand of fine-cut handrolling tobacco, or shag. It was originally produced and distributed by the Douwe Egberts corporation. Douwe Egberts was purchased by the Sara Lee Corporation, which sold Drum to Imperial Tobacco, the current British producer...
fine cut tobacco
- Van Nelle fine cut tobacco
- Golden Virginia
Golden Virginia is a rolling tobacco manufactured in Nottingham, England by Imperial Tobacco and sold throughout Europe. It is a blend of fine-cut Virginia, burley and oriental tobaccos.In the UK, it is sold in 12.5 g, 14 g, 25 g, 40 g, 50 g and 75 g pouches...
fine cut tobacco
- Rizla
RizLa+ , known in English as Rizla is a brand of rolling papers and cigarette tubes or blanks in which tobacco is rolled or stuffed to form handmade cigarettes....
rolling paperRolling papers are small sheets, rolls, or leaves of paper which are sold for rolling one's own cigarettes either by hand or with a rolling machine...
- Skruf snuff
Snuff is a product made from ground or pulverised tobacco leaves. It is an example of smokeless tobacco. It originated in the Americas and was in common use in Europe by the 17th century...
Senior management
Imperial Tobacco's Operating Executive currently comprises the following people:
Alison Cooper – Chief Executive
Robert Dyrbus – Group Finance Director
Helen Clatworthy – Group Supply Chain Director
Fernando Domínguez – Premium Cigar Director
Roberto Funari – Group Marketing Director
Matthew Phillips – Group Corporate & Legal Affairs Director
Walter Prinz – Group Manufacturing, Research & Development Director
Kathryn Turner – Group Human Resources Director
Arthur van Benthem – Group Sales Director
External links