Philip Morris USA’s key Marlboro brand maintained market share at 43.7 per cent in the third quarter as a combination of special factors raised overall shipping volume 1.2 per cent, said parent company Altria.

Adjusted for an extra shipping day and inventory patterns, PM USA said shipping volume fell 3 per cent in the period; less than the estimated 3.5 per cent drop for the US industry as a whole. An increase in discount brands pushed gross retail share for cigarettes up 0.2 percentage points to 50.7 per cent.
Smokeless products volume rose 9.5 per cent to near 213 million packs and cans. Distribution of the Nu Mark subsidiary’s MarkTen e-cigarette will be expanded to Arizona in December, Altria said.
Smokeable product sales rose 4.6 per cent to USD 4.1 billion (EUR 3 billion) while operating profit benefited from a USD 145 million Master Settlement Agreement windfall, gaining 11.5 per cent to USD 1.8 billion.