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Special Tobacco Analysis, Pt. 1 Big Tobacco Fights for Share  

CSP/Modi survey of retailers shows Marlboro, Camel battling market pressures
Jump to full article: Convenience Store/Petroleum, 2009-10-29
Author: Mitch Morrison

Intro:

Cigarettes' big three—Altria, R.J. Reynolds and Lorillard—are facing aggressive challenges from down trading and segment shifting in the convenience-store channel.

The nation's top three brands—Marlboro, Camel and Newport—are battling to hold onto market position in the convenience channel, some six months since Congress approved a record increase in the federal excise tax (FET) to finance expansion of the national children's insurance program, SCHIP.

Based on an exclusive survey conducted by CSP Daily News and UBS Tobacco Analyst Nik Modi, Lorillard appears to be the safest of the three.

Responding to the survey question asking, "Are you seeing substantial trade down from the big three premium brands?" half of the survey respondents said yes.

Asked which of the three premium brands are seeing the most negative pressure, about 40% named Marlboro specifically, and another 40% cited Camel or other Reynolds' brands such as Winston and Salem,

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