Gallaher sales up by over 30% on the local market

British company Gallaher, one of the world leaders in the tobacco industry, last year saw a 30.2% increase in the volume of sales on the Romanian market, pushing its market share up to 3.4%, from the mere 2% it achieved in 2005. This sales advance was sustained by Saint George and Ronson brands, according to information released by the British group. In 2006, the Gallaher group posted total net sales of 2.7 billion pounds (4 billion euros), up 5% against 2005, while the EBITDA stood at 692 million pounds (1 billion euros), up 3.4% against the previous year. British company Gallaher was acquired in December last year, for 7.5 billion pounds (11.1 billion euros), by Japan Tobacco International (JTI), the third biggest cigarette producer in the world, with the value of this transaction being the biggest in the history of the Japanese company and one of the biggest on the European continent. “I think the offer we have received from Japan Tobacco reflects our achievements,” stated Nigel Northridge, the company’s chief executive. The Romanian cigarette market is worth over one billion euros and is dominated by Philip Morris, JTI and British American Tobacco (BAT), which share 90% of the market in terms of value.