Good growth in JT’s domestic sales

Japan Tobacco Inc.’s domestic cigarette sales volume during March, at 12.7 billion, was increased by 30.1 percent on that of March 2013, 9.7 billion, according to preliminary figures issued by the company on Friday. The March 2013 figure was down by 3.6 percent on that of March 2012.

Volume during April 2013–March 2014, at 120.1 billion, was up by 3.3 percent on that of April 2012–March 2013, 116.2 billion, which was increased by 7.2 percent on that of April 2011–March 2012.

JT’s market share stood at 62.2 percent during March, at 61 percent during April 2013–March 2014, and at 59.6 percent for the full year to the end of March 2013.

JT’s domestic cigarette revenue during March, at ¥69.3billion, was increased by 29.6 percent from its March 2013 revenue, ¥53.4 billion.

Revenue during April 2013-March 2014, at ¥658.7 billion, was increased by 3.0 per cent on that of April 2012-March 2013, ¥639.5 billion.

Lorillard to host results conference call

Lorillard is due to host a conference call for analysts and investors from 1 p.m. Eastern Time on April 24 following the release of its first quarter 2014 results.

The conference call will be hosted by chairman, president and CEO, Murray S. Kessler, and CFO and executive vice president, finance and planning, David H. Taylor.

The news release and a live webcast of the conference call will be available under the Investor Relations section of Lorillard’s website at www.lorillard.com.

Investors will be able to access the conference call by dialing 888-239-6824 (domestic) or 706-902-3787 (international). The passcode for the event is 28927750.

The conference call will be available for replay in its entirety through May 1, either at Lorillard’s website or by dialing 855-859-2056 (domestic) or 404-537-3406 (international), and using the passcode 28927750.

Addiction levels down in smokers who switch to electronic cigarettes

A new study has provided evidence that nicotine addiction levels are decreased in smokers who have switched to electronic cigarettes, according to Dr. Michael Siegel writing on his blog, The Rest of the Story: Tobacco Analysis and Commentary.

Siegel, who is a professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, said that many anti-smoking groups and advocates had been opposing electronic cigarettes on the grounds that these products perpetuated or even increased nicotine addiction.

‘But a new study presented at the 2014 annual conference of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) provides evidence that nicotine addiction levels are actually decreased, not increased, in smokers who have switched to electronic cigarettes,’ he said.

Siegel’s blog is at: http://tobaccoanalysis.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/contrary-to-claims-of-many-anti-smoking.html.

Pushing ahead with packs challenge

Indonesia has decided to ask the World Trade Organization to establish a single panel of trade and legal experts to process its challenge to Australia’s law on standardized packaging for tobacco products, according to a story in The Jakarta Post.

Since December 1, 2012, Australia has required that all tobacco products be sold in packaging designed on behalf of the previous Labor government to be as ugly as is possible. Packs are hugely dominated by graphic health warnings, are otherwise a standard olive color, have no logos or other design features, and have brand and variant names in a standardized font and position.

Indonesia filed its request for a WTO-panel hearing in September last year.

The Ministry of Trade’s director general for international trade co-operation, Iman Pambagyo, said on Wednesday that the formation of a single panel to tackle Indonesia’s challenge separately from those of four other countries — Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Ukraine — was considered more likely to be effective.

The director general said Indonesia’s annual cigarette exports to Australia were not sizeable, but that such a measure as had been introduced by Australia could be taken up by other countries, thereby negatively affecting Indonesia’s sales on a wider scale.

“Plain packaging is adopted without scientific evidence or analysis and if we ignore that, this can be a precedent for any country to adopt a restrictive policy without a scientific base,” he said.

PMI to host Q1 results webcast

Philip Morris International is due to host a live audio webcast at www.pmi.com/webcasts from 09.00 hours Eastern Time on April 17 to discuss its 2014 first-quarter results, which will be issued about 07.00 hours on the same day.

During the webcast, CFO Jacek Olczak will discuss the company’s results and answer questions from the investment community and news media.

An archived copy of the webcast, which will be in listen-only mode, will be made available until 17.00 hours on May 16, also at www.pmi.com/webcasts.

The presentation slides and script will be made available at www.pmi.com/earnings.

Altria to host Q1 results webcast

The Altria Group is due to host a live audio webcast at www.altria.com from 09.00 hours Eastern Time on April 24 to discuss its 2014 first-quarter business results, which will be published in a press release about 07.00 hours on the same day.

During the webcast, which will be in listen-only mode, chairman and CEO, Marty Barrington, and vice president and CFO, Howard Willard, will discuss the company’s results and answer questions from the investment community and news media.

Directions for pre-event registration are posted at www.altria.com, where an archived copy of the webcast will be made available.