Tobacco.org

• Imperial Tobacco Profit Gain Matches Estimates on Prices  

Imperial Tobacco Group Plc (IMT), Europe’s second-biggest tobacco company, reported growth in first-half earnings that matched analysts’ estimates after raising prices for cigarettes across its main U.K. market.

Adjusted operating profit rose 3 percent to 1.52 billion pounds ($2.5 billion) in the six months ended March 31, the Bristol, England-based company said today, equaling the median estimate of four analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

Imperial Tobacco is market leader in the U.K., where profit rose 9 percent after price increases in October and March. Selling volume in Britain rose 6.5 percent as some smokers switched to cheaper brands such as JPS Silver, or to fine-cut tobacco. British consumers “continue to economize,” Chief Executive Officer Alison Cooper said in a statement.

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CODY: Secondhand Smoke Filters Through Apartment Buildings 

I happened to mention recently that smoking in France really affects apartment buildings, especially since so many are above restaurants and cafes . . .

Last year we had a beautiful home built in the 1600s in the heart of an ancient harbor town. Naturally we flung all the windows open every to watch the water, the people and to breathe in the delicious scents of bakeries, outdoor food markets, cafes.

But unfortunately, what permeated our senses the most was the cigarette smoke -- so much so that we had to keep the windows on the second floor closed for half the day, as it filtered in so badly that even our kids made comments.

While people have the right to smoke, it made me wonder about how people living in these kinds of apartments deal with this all the time.

Do they care? Do they even notice?

It turns out that they do -- a lot, especially in the United States

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Imperial Tobacco revenues defy austerity ($$) 

Regular increases in the price of cigarettes has driven up first-half revenues at Imperial Tobacco, despite “double dip” recessions in the UK and Spain dragging down volumes.

The maker of the Davidoff, West and Gauloises brands, which is battling higher taxes and new antismoking regulations, such as Australia’s plain packaging laws, on Tuesday reported a 2 per cent increase in interim revenues to £13.9bn.

The rise came in spite of consumers in recession-hit economies cutting back on their habit, pushing down volumes of cigarettes and loose-cut tobacco – known as “stick equivalents” – 4.1 per cent to 159.1bn in the six-month period.

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• Top European Executives See Innovation as Key to Growth 

At a time when growth is at a greater premium than ever, investors appreciate such initiatives. All of these executives win top billing within their industries in the 2012 All-­Europe Executive Team, Institutional Investor’s exclusive annual ranking of the best European CEOs, CFOs, investor relations professionals and IR teams. II surveyed 825 buy-side and 1,470 sell-side analysts from nearly 600 firms and asked them to vote for the best executives in their sectors.

EADS and ASML Holding, a Dutch maker of equipment for producing semiconductors, top this year’s ranking. Their CEOs, CFOs, IR professionals and IR teams each win first-place honors from both buy- and sell-side analysts. Trailing only slightly behind, U.K. media giant Pearson and metals and mining company Xstrata of Switzerland come in first place in seven categories. British American Tobacco (BAT), French luxury group LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton and German software provider SAP tie for fifth place by claiming first in six categories. . . .

Much the same may be said of consumer products companies’ need to deliver something new, even those making the addictive type. Tobacco products maker BAT’s most prestigious brand, Dunhill, is growing thanks in part to Reloc, a resealable pack that helps to keep the contents fresher, according to CEO Nicandro Durante, who is voted best chief executive in the Tobacco sector by both sets of analysts. Durante says innovations account for 12 percent of BAT’s total sales and more than one third of those of its four leading brands. Kent, which he describes as “our most innovative brand,” includes a version called Convertibles that contain a menthol-­flavored capsule that can be pinched at any time when smoking to release that taste. A feature called Click & Roll in Lucky Strike uses similar technology. Those innovations helped the three brands plus BAT’s other leader, Pall Mall, grow revenue by 9 percent in 2011. The four now account for roughly one third of the company’s total of £15.4 billion.

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Overview  

the firms that ranked highest in Institutional Investor’s 2012 All-Europe Executive Team represent a group of heavyweight firms that are managing the recent challenges just fine, according to the buy-side and sell-side analysts who voted in our exclusive ranking of the continent’s best CEOs, CFOs, and investor relations professionals and teams.

These are firms that find a way to be buoyed by their reach into fast-growing regions and markets outside Europe yet unhindered by global scale. They are positioning — in some cases transforming — their businesses to generate steady streams of shareholder value.

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Most Honored Companies  

51 British American Tobacco

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Gov. Nixon seeks to steer clear of Mo. tobacco tax initiative, wants to hold the line on taxes 

Northern Ireland smokers flout law in work vehicles  

Five years after Northern Ireland went smoke-free, drivers of work vehicles are still the biggest culprits when it comes to flouting the law, it has been revealed.

Today is the fifth anniversary of legislation banning smoking in the workplace, and in closed public spaces, as well as in vehicles such as taxis, buses, vans and lorries.

But while pubs and restaurants have shown a 98% compliance rate, Department of Health statistics have revealed some smokers are ignoring the law and lighting up behind the wheel while driving a work vehicle.

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A look at 2 challenges to Michigan smoking ban 

Sharjah blaze: 1 cigarette 'burns' 2,500 people 

Imperial Tobacco upbeat mood prompts buyback  

Imperial Tobacco Profit Gain Matches Estimates on Prices  

• Groceries unhappy with ban on cigarette sale  

Groceries in Sharjah say a possible ban on cigarette sales would kill their business prospects.

Owners who spoke to 'Emirates24*7' on condition of anonymity said, while profit on cigarettes are a bit low, it contributes to the sale of additional products.

"It would be a death knell to lot of groceries, that mainly survive on sale of cigarettes," warned one of the grocery store owner in Al Khan.

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Fort Worth no-smoking proposal pits employers' healthcare costs vs. personal freedoms 

Non-smoking grandad fined £50 for cig butt stuck to shoe