British American Tobacco plans to sell directly to retailers from late October, and will hire up to 700 people to run its new marketing and distribution system, Warsaw Business Journal said.

“There are nearly 120,000 outlets where tobacco products are sold in Poland. The new model will allow us to reach many of them directly,” the Business Journal quoted BAT Poland President Antal Bekefi as saying.
BAT has been losing sales for years as rising excise taxes make its products less competitive with illicit goods, according to Warsaw Business Journal. Direct marketing may help BAT hold down costs to stay competitive, the Journal said.