A re-styled version of Philip Morris' flagship brand L&M has been introduced to the press last week and is to be launched on the Russian market in a matter of days, according to a Rustabak.ru report.

Apart from a new package design, composition of the blend has also seen certain changes, e.g. the filter version, strongest of the product line, has been made lighter, with nicotine and tar delivery reduced to 0.8 mg and 10 mg per cigarette respectively. All L&M varieties except the red one will now have a white filter, a component amazingly popular with Russian smokers. L&M, which had previously been re-styled only last year, remains one of the steady market leaders among filtertips and, by the company’s estimates, has already outstripped JTI’s Winston in sales volume. However, different estimates indicate equal shares of the two brands or even a superior position of Winston, reminds Rustabak. (vt)