Imperial Tobacco said in a statement last week that it purchased the remaining 57 per cent of Swedish snuff maker Skruf in June for a  “non-material” price.

The UK cigarette manufacturer also announced that cigarette shipments have increased by almost half in the current fiscal year's first nine months after takeovers added brands from Altadis and Commonwealth Brands.  Shipments climbed 45 per cent to 207 billion cigarettes through June. Excluding acquisitions, volumes increased 3 per cent.
Following its February takeover of Altadis, Imperial announced plans to cut 2,440 jobs in Europe and aims to close six factories in a re-organisation plan that will cost EUR 600 million. (pi)