Japan Tobacco International (JTI) shipping volume fell by 20 billion, a 4.6 per cent decline, to 416.4 billion sticks in 2013, a year in which the cigarette company said it gained share in a market undergoing global contraction.

Winston and LD, both global flagship brands (GFB), posted volume growth in excess of 5 per cent in the final three months of 2013. GFB brands Mevius and Camel declined. For the whole year, a dip of 0.8 per cent in GFB shipments was much less than the overall decline, JTI said.
Price increases more than compensated for declining volume, resulting in adjusted operating profit (EBITDA) rising 7.5 per cent to USD 4.6 billion (EUR 3.4 billion), JTI said.
Parent company Japan Tobacco raised its adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) forecast for the fiscal year ending in March due to favourable foreign exchange rates.
“Internationally, we achieved robust profit growth driven by strong price/mix. Despite industry volume contraction, market share growth in most key markets confirmed solid business fundamentals”, said JT Chief Executive Officer Mitsuomi Koizumi. “In Japan, robust performance of Mevius further expanded our overall market share. We will continue to strengthen the brand equity of our key brands such as Mevius, Seven Stars and Pianissimo, aiming to further increase our market share.”