Snus maker Swedish Match shipped 9 per cent more cans in Scandinavia in the first quarter, compared to first quarter 2017 results, and shipments of snus and nicotine pouches outside Scandinavia increased by 95 per cent, the company said in its interim results for the Jan-March 2018.

Shipment volume of snus in Scandinavia for the Jan-March period, at 61.5 million cans, included volume from V2 Tobacco, which the company acquired in August 2017. Excluding V2 Tobacco volume, and shipment issue relating to calendar events, Swedish Match said shipments of snus in Scandinavia were up 2 per cent on the 56.5 million cans shipped in the Jan-March period in 2017.
Swedish Match estimated that the total snus market in Scandinavia grew by at least 4 per cent over the period.
Shipments of snus and nicotine pouches outside Scandinavia almost doubled. At 4.8 million cans, Swedish Match shipped 95 per cent more cans than in the first quarter of 2017.
The company said the increase in volume for pouched product substantially offset continued declines in its loose product portfolio in the country. Moist snuff volume in the US was down 2 per cent in the first quarter, at 34 million cans.
The company said its snus products are available in 18,000 stores in the US and its tobacco-free variant, Zyn, is available in around 10,000 US stores.
Total sales of snus and moist snuff increased by 7 per cent, at SEK 1.386 billion (EUR 130.6 million) and operating profit from the company’s snus and moist snuff business was up 17 per cent, at SEK 623 million.
Swedish Match shipped 429 million cigars in the period, up 8 per cent on the 398 million shipped in the first quarter last year. Chewing tobacco shipments were down 6 per cent, at 1.568 million pounds, excluding contract manufacturing volumes.