US Smokeless Tobacco on Monday said it would raise wholesale prices on most of its brands, including Copenhagen and Skoal, by 10 cents a can, citing higher costs for fuel, plastic and benefits.

US Smokeless, the main unit of UST, said the 3.4 per cent price increase, which brings the price of its top brands to US$ 3.01 a can, is effective 24 October.
The increase is the latest since UST announced a price increase of 10 cents, or 3.6 per cent, last November. That hike went into effect on 1 January.
"Our view is that UST wanted to get this price increase out of the way so that the company can start to implement its broader strategy of spending more aggressively in 'troubled' markets," Goldman Sachs analyst Judy Hong said in a note.
She said the price increase could be "a prelude to UST's broader strategy that will be unveiled" in December. US Smokeless, based in Greenwich, Connecticut, also said it would raise the price on Red Seal by 10 cents to US$ 1.97 per can. Its lower-priced Husky products will remain priced at US$ 1.05.(pi)