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Lambert and Butler cigarettes/Imperial Tobacco
Cigarette sales are falling about 4% year on year. Photograph: Bloomberg via Getty Images
Cigarette sales are falling about 4% year on year. Photograph: Bloomberg via Getty Images

Imperial Tobacco snaps up US brands Salem and Kool in £4bn deal

This article is more than 9 years old
All change in tobacco industry as Bristol-based firm becomes major US player and world No2 Reynolds American merges with Lorillard

Imperial Tobacco has become a major player in the US market after snapping up a raft of brands in a £4.2bn ($7bn) deal.

The Bristol-based maker of Lambert & Butler and JPS has acquired the Winston and Maverick brands together with menthol cigarettes Kool and Salem, as well as e-cigarette brand blu.

It said the deal would give it a significant US presence with a 10% share of a market with total annual sales worth £20bn and profits £8bn).

It said the US market accounted for an estimated 25% of world tobacco profits, excluding China.

FTSE 100-listed Imperial is picking up the brands discarded in the planned merger between rivals Reynolds American and Lorillard.

Alison Cooper, chief executive of the FTSE 100-listed group, said: "This is a great opportunity to transform our US business and secure a significant presence in the world's largest accessible profit pool."

Imperial said the enlarged US business would now represent around 24% of combined tobacco net revenues.

The debt-financed transaction, which is subject to approval by American regulators over the next six to nine months, will also involve it picking up a Lorillard site in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Imperial said the brands to be acquired had net revenues of £1.4bn and operating profits of £350m in 2013.

While the US market was seeing modest volume decline, it offered "continuing opportunities" due to the "highly affordable" price of cigarettes relative to US spending power, Imperial said.

But Imperial shares fell 3% as agencies Fitch and Moody's downgraded their credit ratings for the company.

Fitch said its decision reflected the combination of the ongoing challenges faced by the business in Europe with the increased leverage as a result of the acquisition.

More on this story

More on this story

  • Long-term smokers find plain-packaged cigarettes taste worse

  • Tobacco giant 'tried blackmail' to block Ugandan anti-smoking law

  • Imperial Tobacco eyes US cigarette brand deals

  • Government urged to introduce plain cigarette packaging by health charities

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