On Wednesday, the Franco-Spanish tobacco company, Altadis, raised its cigarette prices by € 0.10 (US$ 0.15) a packet, reported Reuters.

Altadis, the manufacturer of Gauloises, Gitanes and Ducados cigarette brands, said a 20-pack of its flagship Fortuna cigarettes would now cost € 2.50, up from € 2.40, mirroring a recent price increase by larger U.S. rival Philip Morris. Philip Morris, a unit of Altria Group, recently raised the price of a pack of its Marlboro cigarettes by € 0.05, to € 3.00. Marlboro is the top seller in Spain.
Altadis is in the process of being purchased by Imperial Tobacco Group. (pi)