Brazilian tobacco company Souza Cruz, a subsidiary of British American Tobacco, posted a net profit of R$ 824 million in 2006, 19 per cent more than the R$ 692 posted in 2005.

The company reports that the rise was prompted by increased sales, by an improved mix of products, by higher profit margins and by cost cuts.
Souza Cruz's sales revenue totalled R$ 4.2 billion last year, 14 per cent more than in 2005, while the Ebitda rose by 12 per cent to R$ 1.23 billion.
The company sold 78 billion cigarettes in 2006, up 2.9 per cent from 2005, which led to an increase of 1.2 percentage points in the company's domestic market share. Meanwhile, Souza Cruz's exports fell by 1.8 per cent against 2005, to 115.000 tonnes. (pi)