Smoke shop owners plan to market their own discount-brand cigarette to counter the high volume of illicit trade in the country, according to a report citing Confederation of Tobacconists President Pascal Montredon.

LCB, which stands for ‘la cigarette du buraliste,’is expected to be on the market in a few weeks, said The Connexion, an English language print and online medium. Buraliste is French for tobacco shop owner. One-in-three cigarette packs consumed in France is sold outside official channels, Montredon reportedly said. The launching was conceived to draw attention to the problem.
The Health Ministry and Budget Secretary have approved applications for LCB, which will sell for EUR 6.60 (USD 7.12), or 10 cents more than the least inexpensive legal cigarette on the market, The Connexion said. Because there is no manufacturing capability in France, the cigarette will be produced in Bulgaria under an arrangement between the Confederation of Tobacconists and Poeschl, a German tobacco company, The Connexion said. LCB will be available only in France and only in brick-and-mortar outlets, according to the report.