Imperial Tobacco growth brand shipments rose by nearly 14 billion sticks in the nine months to 30 June as the product group including Davidoff and JPS increased global market share, the company said.

Problems in Iraq dragged down both volume and sales, Imperial said in a trading statement. Growth brands volume rose to 105.4 billion sticks from 91.7 billion. Growth brand market share rose one percentage point, Imperial said without supplying its overall share. Total tobacco volume in stick equivalents fell 6 billion to 207.4 billion.
Tobacco revenue fell to GBP 4.4 billion (EUR 6.2 billion) from GBP 4.6 billion. Imperial said underlying sales were nearly unchanged, and would have increased without Iraq. Expansion in the US, where the acquisition of RJ Reynolds assets by Imperial’s ITG Brands was finalised in June, is on track, Imperial said.
Growth and specialist brands, the latter including cigars, snus and RYO, generated 59 per cent of tobacco revenue compared with 53 per cent in the comparable period last year.