The deadline for submitting final offers in the privatisation of Tekel, Turkey's state-owned tobacco company, was extended to 18 February by the Privatization Administration Board.

The New Anatolian reported that the original deadline of 25 January was extended following requests from some investors and due to the appointments of new Privatization Administration Board members.
Among the companies interested in the Tekel privatisation are British American Tobacco, JTI, Dogan Holding-Citi Venture Capital International, Cigarette Production and Marketing Company, investment fund Cinven and investors from Russia and Britain.
Turkey is the world's seventh-largest cigarette market, with about 100 billion cigarettes smoked annually. Tekel controlled 38 per cent of Turkey's cigarette market in 2007, according to the Privatization Administration, down from 57 per cent in 2002. The company’s operating profit was TRY 199 million (US$ 168.6 million) in 2006. (pi)