Imperial Brands and Japan Tobacco International (JTI) have hired restructuring experts to keep cigarette wholesaler Palmer and Harvey (P&H) from collapse, The Sunday Times said.

An estimated 40 per cent of P&H sales are with the grocer chain Tesco, which has acquired a rival tobacco wholesaler. Fears have surfaced that P&H could lose a portion of its Tesco business due to the Booker acquisition, the news agency Reuters reported. Imperial and JTI are said to be two of P&H’s largest creditors, according to Reuters