Spanish cigarette sales rose in February as a brief price war offset the impact of a ban on smoking in most public places, figures from the tobacco market commission showed on Friday.

Sales rose to 314 million packs compared with 305 million in January, when the ban came into force, and above the 310 million of February a year ago.
However the round of price cuts prompted by Altria Group's Philip Morris at the end of January contributed to a Euro 42 million (US$ 50 million) drop in the value of sales to Euro 638 million.
Philip Morris's leading brand, Marlboro, gained market share, rising to 17.2 per cent from 16.8 per cent in December. The French-Spanish tobacco firm Altadis's Fortuna dropped to a market share of 9.3 per cent from 14.6 per cent in December, behind Altadis' cheaper brand Ducados Rubio, which rose to second place with 10.2 per cent of the market. Most major tobacco firms followed Philip Morris' lead and slashed prices, only to raise them again a week or so later when the government slapped on another round of tax rises intended to curb smoking. (pi)