Imperial Tobacco
655861
224001289
2008-07-06T22:03:08Z
Darkieboy236
3967105
/* Current cigarette brands */ punctuation.
{{Infobox Company
| company_name = Imperial Tobacco Group PLC
| company_logo = [[Image:Imperialtobaccologo.svg|150px|Imperial Tobacco Logo]]
| company_type = [[Public company|Public]] ({{lse|IMT}})
| foundation = 1901
| location_city = [[Bristol]]
| location_country = [[England]], [[United Kingdom|UK]]
| key_people = Iain Napier, [[Chair (official)|Chairman]] <br> Gareth Davis, [[CEO]]
| industry = [[Tobacco]]
| products =
| revenue = [[Pound sterling|£]]12,344 million (2007)
| operating_income = [[Pound sterling|£]]1,475 million (2007)
| net_income = [[Pound sterling|£]]912 million (2007)
| num_employees = 14,221 (2007)
| parent =
| subsid =
| homepage = [http://www.imperial-tobacco.com www.imperial-tobacco.com]
| footnotes =
}}
'''Imperial Tobacco Group [[Public limited company|PLC]]''' ({{lse|IMT}}) is the world's fourth largest international [[tobacco]] company. It is the second largest UK-based tobacco company by global sales. It is [[Germany]]'s second largest tobacco company following its purchase of [[Reemtsma|Reemtsma Cigarettenfabriken GmbH]] in 2003 which added brands such as [[Davidoff]], [[Peter Stuyvesant (cigarette)|Peter Stuyvesant]] and [[West (cigarette)|West]] to its portfolio. In 2007 Imperial Tobacco entered the United States tobacco market with its $1.9 billion acquisition of Commonwealth Brands Inc, the fourth largest tobacco company in the US.<ref name=AP-12-2007>Bruce Schreiner, [http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071224/BIZ/712240312/1076/rss01 "Houchens expanding at a rapid pace: Company has evolved since Kentucky start"], ''Associated Press'', December 24, 2007</ref> Imperial Tobacco's corporate headquarters are in [[Bristol]], [[England]]. It has 58 factories operating around the world, and employs some 40,000 people.
In February 2008, Imperial acquired European peer [[Altadis]] with brands including [[Fortuna]], [[Gauloises Blondes]] and [[Gitanes]].
For the year ended 30 September 2006 Imperial Tobacco had a turnover of £11.676 billion, or £3.162 billion excluding [[tobacco duty]]. It made a profit before tax of £1.168 billion.
==History==
The Imperial Tobacco Company was created in 1901 through the amalgamation of thirteen British tobacco and cigarette companies compromising [[W.D. & H.O. Wills]] of [[Bristol]] (the leading manufacturer of the time), [[John Player]] and Sons of [[Nottingham]] and 11 other independent family businesses, which were being threatened by competition from the [[United States]] in the form of [[James Buchanan Duke]] and his [[American Tobacco Company]]. The original merger took place between [[W. D. & H. O. Wills]] of [[Bristol]] and [[Stephen Mitchell & Son]] of [[Glasgow]]. The company's first Chairman was [[William Wills, 1st Baron Winterstoke|William Henry Wills]] of the Wills Company. Subsequently the smaller companies in the group including [[Lambert & Butler]], [[William Clarke & Son]], [[Franklyn Davey]], [[Edwards Ringer]], [[J & F Bell]] and [[F & J Smith]] were absorbed by the larger, with Wills and Players eventually emerging as the UK market leaders.
In [[1902]] the then Imperial Tobacco Company and the [[American Tobacco Company]] agreed to form a joint venture; the [[British American Tobacco|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. American Tobacco sold its share in [[1911]] but Imperial maintained an interest in British American Tobacco until [[1980]].
In [[1973]], having become increasingly diversified (restaurant chains, food services and brands, distribution etc), Imperial Tobacco Company became the Imperial Group Limited, later '''Imperial Group PLC'''. The company was acquired by the conglomerate [[Hanson plc|Hanson Trust plc]] in [[1986]], at a price of £2.5 billion. Hanson undertook a major reorganisation of the company; divestments netted £2.3 billion, leaving Hanson with the hugely profitable tobacco business for "next to nothing." These sales included:
*[[Courage (brewery)|Courage Limited]] to [[Elders Limited|Elders]]
*[[Golden Wonder]] to [[Dalgety]]
*[[Finlays]] was sold to A J Patel
*Wholesaling arm of [[Sinclair and Collis]] was sold to [[Palmer & Harvey]]
*Imperial Hotels and Catering to [[Trust House Forte]]
*[[Ross Group|Ross Frozen Foods]] to [[United Biscuits]]
In [[1996]], following a decision to concentrate on core tobacco activities, Hanson demerged Imperial and it was listed as an independent company on the UK stock exchange. A US listing followed in [[1998]].
==Current cigarette brands ==
*All [[Japan Tobacco|JTI]] products in Australia - [[Camel (cigarette)|Camel]], [[More (cigarette)|More]], [[Mild Seven]], etc.
*[[Davidoff]]
*Embassy
*Excellence
*[[Fortuna (cigarette)|Fortuna]]
*[[Gauloises]]
*[[Gitanes]]
*Horizon
*[[John Player|John Player Special (JPS)]]
*[[Lambert & Butler]] - the UK's best selling brand
*Mark Fernyhough cigarettes
*Moon
*Peter Jackson
*Peter Stuyvesant
*Prima
*R1
*[[Regal (cigarette)|Regal]]
*[[Richmond (cigarette)|Richmond]]
*Route 66
*[[Superkings]]
*[[West (cigarette)|West]]
==Other products ==
*[[Drum (tobacco)|Drum]] fine cut tobacco
* [[Van Nelle]] fine cut tobacco
* [[Golden Virginia]] fine cut tobacco
*[[Rizla]] [[Rolling papers|rolling paper]]
* [[Skruf]] [[snuff]]
== References ==
<references/>
==External links==
*[http://www.imperial-tobacco.com/ Official website]
*[http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=IMT.L Yahoo profile]
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[[Category:Tobacco companies of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Companies listed on the London Stock Exchange]]
[[Category:Companies based in Bristol]]
[[Category:Companies established in 1901]]
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