Japan Tobacco International (JTI) key brand volume rose 8.4 per cent in the first three months of 2015, driven by a 34.2 per cent spike in Camel shipments following brand repricing in Turkey, the company said.

Global flagship brand volume, which also includes Winston, Mevius and LD, rose to 60 billion sticks. Gross volume gained 0.5 per cent to 88.1 billion sticks in the three-month period ended 31 March.
Domestic cigarette output at parent company Japan Tobacco plummeted by nearly 5 billion sticks to 25.5 billion, a 16.2 per cent fall that JT said was due to unusually high volume in the year-ago period, when consumers stockpiled ahead of an April tax hike.
Currency exchange movements cut into sales and profit at JTI, which reports earnings in USD. Adjusted operating Profit fell 13.8 per cent to USD 881 million (EUR 799 million). At JT, domestic tobacco business adjusted operating profit fell 14.3 per cent to JPY 57 billion (EUR 434 million) on sales that declined 12.6 per cent to JPY 149.6 billion.
“Our international tobacco business fundamentals remain strong, and pricing continues to be a key driver, reflecting the strength of our brands. Domestically, despite intensified market competition, since last April Mevius has steadily extended its market share,” said JT Chief Executive Officer Mitsuomi Koizumi.