2008-03-13
1934 Lucky Strike Cigarettes Cream Of Crop Ad
THE HEIGHT OF GOOD TASTE Only the Center leaves - these are the Mildest Leaves. The Cream of the Crop.
LUCKY LIGHTENS UP (1982-1986)
The 1985 "Light My Lucky" campaign was the third unsuccessful attempt by The American Tobacco Company to add a filter tipped line extension to their old standard, Lucky Strike Cigarettes. Sales of non-filtered Luckies had been on the decline since the 1950's. In terms of corporate strategy, perhaps the most interesting attempt was the 1982 "Lucky Strikes Again" campaign that was headed up by Thomas C. Hays, a 47 year old non-smoker. Hays had between 50 and 100 million dollars to promote a low tar filter tip version of Lucky Strike Cigarettes. He felt that the best way to do this was to emphasize the fun of the cigarette. A dart-throwing tournament and roving vans with women passing out free packs in bowling alleys, bars, and restaurants went nowhere. It should be noted that Thomas Hays wasn't a tobaccoman. He had been an executive with Jergens Lotion before joining ATCo. To be fair, there were plenty of cigarette test markets that were run by tobaccomen that also failed. Nevertheless, The American Tobacco Company went out of business in 1994.
1942 Lucky Strike Ad - GEORGES SCHREIBER Artwork
IN A LUCKY STRIKE CIGARETTES, IT’S THE TOBACCO THAT COUNTS With men who know tobacco best—it’s Luckies 2 to 1
1944 Lucky Strike Cigarettes Fine Tobacco Ad
“FINE TOBACCO – I’ll smoke it later in LUCKIES” So round – so firm – so fully packed - so free and easy on the draw
1953 Lucky Strike Cigarettes Grading Leaf J Koch art Ad
BETTER TASTE BEGINS ON THE FARM Yes, better taste begins with fine tobacco and LUCKIES TASTE BETTER! Yes, better than anyone, can appreciate the fact that better taste in all things grown begins on the farm. Luckies better taste begins with the fine, light, mild tobacco for which they are famous. L.S./M.F.T. — Lucky Strike Cigarettes means fine tobacco. Yes, Luckies taste better because they’re made of the tobacco and they’re made better. So, Be Happy—Go Lucky! Cleaner….Fresher….Smoother!
2008-03-12
BAT strikes it lucky once more
It was not so long ago that British American Tobacco was considered to be among the least fashionable stocks in the FTSE 100. Its history includes a foray into the insurance business and owning Saks Fifth Avenue.
But having shed its surplus businesses and turned its focus back to its tobacco roots, the maker of Lucky Strike Cigarettes among others has in recent years transformed itself into a City darling - a status likely to be confirmed when it posts annual results on Thursday.
The stock has tripled in value during the past five years. Paul Adam, the chief executive, has beaten the company's goal for high single-digit growth in earnings per share every year since he took over in 2004.
This week, he is expected to do it again.
The consensus among analysts is that sales will climb 1.2 per cent to £9.87bn and earnings before interest, tax and exceptional items will increase by 7 per cent to £3bn. Earnings per share growth is expected to be about 9 per cent.
Like its competitors, BAT has seen cigarette sales in the US, parts of Europe and other mature markets fall amid increasing health concerns, smoking bans, higher taxes and advertising restrictions.
Yet the world's second-biggest tobacco company has sustained growth by focusing on raising profit margins in western Europe and increasing sales in emerging markets where populations and the popularity of smoking are still climbing.
Sales in emerging markets account for half of group revenues and profits. Their importance to BAT's growth strategy was highlighted last week when it snapped up Tekel Cigarette, Turkey's state-owned cigarette maker. for $1.72bn (£874m).
Tekel was BAT's first significant acquisition in almost five years. The transaction could strengthen the company's foothold in the world's eighth largest tobacco market, lifting its share of the Turkish market from 7 per cent to 36 per cent.
BAT's own Turkish business has been loss-making since it entered the market in 2002.
Mr Adams also said that he would be interested in the monopoly businesses operating in Egypt and Algeria if they ever came on to the market.
But for all the praise that has been lavished on BAT's wide geographical reach, analysts say they are putting most of their faith in BAT's ability to cut costs. The group has saved £729m in the four years to 2006 by closing factories and cutting production capacities in countries where fewer people are smoking. The company is widely expected to unveil a second round of cost cuts on Thursday.
But having shed its surplus businesses and turned its focus back to its tobacco roots, the maker of Lucky Strike Cigarettes among others has in recent years transformed itself into a City darling - a status likely to be confirmed when it posts annual results on Thursday.
The stock has tripled in value during the past five years. Paul Adam, the chief executive, has beaten the company's goal for high single-digit growth in earnings per share every year since he took over in 2004.
This week, he is expected to do it again.
The consensus among analysts is that sales will climb 1.2 per cent to £9.87bn and earnings before interest, tax and exceptional items will increase by 7 per cent to £3bn. Earnings per share growth is expected to be about 9 per cent.
Like its competitors, BAT has seen cigarette sales in the US, parts of Europe and other mature markets fall amid increasing health concerns, smoking bans, higher taxes and advertising restrictions.
Yet the world's second-biggest tobacco company has sustained growth by focusing on raising profit margins in western Europe and increasing sales in emerging markets where populations and the popularity of smoking are still climbing.
Sales in emerging markets account for half of group revenues and profits. Their importance to BAT's growth strategy was highlighted last week when it snapped up Tekel Cigarette, Turkey's state-owned cigarette maker. for $1.72bn (£874m).
Tekel was BAT's first significant acquisition in almost five years. The transaction could strengthen the company's foothold in the world's eighth largest tobacco market, lifting its share of the Turkish market from 7 per cent to 36 per cent.
BAT's own Turkish business has been loss-making since it entered the market in 2002.
Mr Adams also said that he would be interested in the monopoly businesses operating in Egypt and Algeria if they ever came on to the market.
But for all the praise that has been lavished on BAT's wide geographical reach, analysts say they are putting most of their faith in BAT's ability to cut costs. The group has saved £729m in the four years to 2006 by closing factories and cutting production capacities in countries where fewer people are smoking. The company is widely expected to unveil a second round of cost cuts on Thursday.
BAT hopes to strike lucky in Turkey bid
All eyes will be on the box this lunchtime as Turkey auctions off its state-owned tobacco firm Tekel Cigarette, with bids starting at more than $1bn (£513m) live on television.
Four sealed bids were received on Monday and reports claim they ranged between $1bn and $1.5bn. But the final round of bidding is to be shown live on TV to avoid any claims of corruption.
BAT, the London-based maker of Lucky Strike Cigarettes and 555, is bidding, as are British private-equity group Cinven, Turkish conglomerate Dorgan and a Turkish building company backed by Morgan Stanley private equity.
Turkey is seen as a key country for tobacco manufacturers because the rapid growth of Philip Morris, with 43% of the market, indicates smokers are switching from domestic brands to international ones like Marlboro.
Four sealed bids were received on Monday and reports claim they ranged between $1bn and $1.5bn. But the final round of bidding is to be shown live on TV to avoid any claims of corruption.
BAT, the London-based maker of Lucky Strike Cigarettes and 555, is bidding, as are British private-equity group Cinven, Turkish conglomerate Dorgan and a Turkish building company backed by Morgan Stanley private equity.
Turkey is seen as a key country for tobacco manufacturers because the rapid growth of Philip Morris, with 43% of the market, indicates smokers are switching from domestic brands to international ones like Marlboro.
BAT sets agenda for growth in cigarette world
LONDON: British American Tobacco, the No. 2 cigarette company after Altria, is setting the agenda for growth in the cigarette world with modest acquisitions and deep cost cuts as the era of big tobacco deals comes to a close.
The maker of Kent, Dunhill and Lucky Strike cigarettes has announced two midsize deals in the past seven days and a five-year cost-cutting program.
The four biggest tobacco groups now control four-fifths of the global cigarette market excluding China, and any further consolidation among them looks distinctly unlikely for antitrust reasons, analysts say.
The top four - Altria, BAT, Japan Tobacco and Imperial Tobacco - will now look to internal growth, state privatizations and smaller deals in emerging markets to increase volumes, while lifting earnings through cost cuts and share buybacks.
"There are not the transformational deals out there - big transformation deals are gone," Paul Adams, chief executive of BAT, said Thursday. He added that his company could reach its financial goals through organic, or internally driven, growth.
Over the past 10 months, the fifth- and sixth-largest companies, Gallaher of Britain and the French-Spanish maker Altadis, were taken over by Japan Tobacco and Imperial Tobacco, respectively, in a last flurry of big deals.
BAT has had its share of transformational deals, taking over Rothmans in 1999. It then merged its U.S. arm with R.J. Reynolds to create Reynolds American in 2004, in which BAT has a 42 percent stake, to cut its exposure to U.S. litigation.
Analysts say the big four now are focused on state monopolies in Egypt and Algeria, if or when they come up for sale. Attention will also focus on Altria, which plans to spin off its business outside the United States, Philip Morris International, on March 28.
PMI will remain the largest cigarette company; it made 850 billion cigarettes in 2007. It will be a major player in Western Europe, with the top position in such large markets as France, Germany, Spain and Italy. The company has already indicated that it plans a share buyback program of $13 billion over two years and a dividend payout ratio of 65 percent of available earnings.
BAT started a £750 million, or $1.5 billion, share buyback in 2007, and it also plans to pay out 65 percent of earnings as dividends this year, reflecting the lack of big acquisition opportunities worldwide. The group temporarily scaled back its buyback program for 2008 to £400 million after its two latest acquisitions.
BAT agreed last Friday to pay $1.72 billion for Turkey's state-owned cigarette maker, Tekel. On Thursday, BAT agreed to buy the cigarette business of the privately owned Skandinavisk Tobakskompagni of Denmark in a deal worth £2 billion, giving BAT control of 60 percent of all cigarettes smoked in Scandinavia.
The two deals will added 32 billion and 30 billion annual cigarette sales, respectively, to BAT's 2007 sales of 684 billion and edge it closer to PMI. But more importantly, both will enhance earnings immediately, will lead to £90 million in cost savings and were struck at what Adams called reasonable prices.
BAT paid 11.4 times historic annual earnings for Tekel and 11.2 times for its Scandinavian deal, well below the 14.2 multiple Imperial paid for Altadis, the maker of Gauloises, in January, and the 13 multiple Japan Tobacco paid deal for Gallaher, which makes Benson & Hedges, in April.
BAT has cut its cost base by just over £1 billion in the five years through 2007 and plans to cut £800 million in the five years to 2012 as it seeks greater efficiencies at its 47 factories and among its 54,000 employees worldwide.
BAT reported a 12.3 percent increase in net profit last year as revenue rose 3 percent to £10.02 billion.
The maker of Kent, Dunhill and Lucky Strike cigarettes has announced two midsize deals in the past seven days and a five-year cost-cutting program.
The four biggest tobacco groups now control four-fifths of the global cigarette market excluding China, and any further consolidation among them looks distinctly unlikely for antitrust reasons, analysts say.
The top four - Altria, BAT, Japan Tobacco and Imperial Tobacco - will now look to internal growth, state privatizations and smaller deals in emerging markets to increase volumes, while lifting earnings through cost cuts and share buybacks.
"There are not the transformational deals out there - big transformation deals are gone," Paul Adams, chief executive of BAT, said Thursday. He added that his company could reach its financial goals through organic, or internally driven, growth.
Over the past 10 months, the fifth- and sixth-largest companies, Gallaher of Britain and the French-Spanish maker Altadis, were taken over by Japan Tobacco and Imperial Tobacco, respectively, in a last flurry of big deals.
BAT has had its share of transformational deals, taking over Rothmans in 1999. It then merged its U.S. arm with R.J. Reynolds to create Reynolds American in 2004, in which BAT has a 42 percent stake, to cut its exposure to U.S. litigation.
Analysts say the big four now are focused on state monopolies in Egypt and Algeria, if or when they come up for sale. Attention will also focus on Altria, which plans to spin off its business outside the United States, Philip Morris International, on March 28.
PMI will remain the largest cigarette company; it made 850 billion cigarettes in 2007. It will be a major player in Western Europe, with the top position in such large markets as France, Germany, Spain and Italy. The company has already indicated that it plans a share buyback program of $13 billion over two years and a dividend payout ratio of 65 percent of available earnings.
BAT started a £750 million, or $1.5 billion, share buyback in 2007, and it also plans to pay out 65 percent of earnings as dividends this year, reflecting the lack of big acquisition opportunities worldwide. The group temporarily scaled back its buyback program for 2008 to £400 million after its two latest acquisitions.
BAT agreed last Friday to pay $1.72 billion for Turkey's state-owned cigarette maker, Tekel. On Thursday, BAT agreed to buy the cigarette business of the privately owned Skandinavisk Tobakskompagni of Denmark in a deal worth £2 billion, giving BAT control of 60 percent of all cigarettes smoked in Scandinavia.
The two deals will added 32 billion and 30 billion annual cigarette sales, respectively, to BAT's 2007 sales of 684 billion and edge it closer to PMI. But more importantly, both will enhance earnings immediately, will lead to £90 million in cost savings and were struck at what Adams called reasonable prices.
BAT paid 11.4 times historic annual earnings for Tekel and 11.2 times for its Scandinavian deal, well below the 14.2 multiple Imperial paid for Altadis, the maker of Gauloises, in January, and the 13 multiple Japan Tobacco paid deal for Gallaher, which makes Benson & Hedges, in April.
BAT has cut its cost base by just over £1 billion in the five years through 2007 and plans to cut £800 million in the five years to 2012 as it seeks greater efficiencies at its 47 factories and among its 54,000 employees worldwide.
BAT reported a 12.3 percent increase in net profit last year as revenue rose 3 percent to £10.02 billion.
BAT among the final bidders for Turkey's Tekel
British American Tobacco, the owner of Dunhill and Lucky Strike cigarettes, is among four groups that have submitted final bids for Tekel Cigarette, the state-owned Turkish cigarette group.
An auction for the group, which analysts value at $1bn-$1.5bn (£513m-£769m), could be held by the end of the week.
The other final bidders are one consortium that includes Turkish conglomerate Dogan Holding; another consortium including the Turkish construction group Lima Insaat; and the private equity firm Cinven, which is bidding in a consortium under the name of Strand Investment.
The auction will be shown on Turkish television and is also expected to be recorded by international channels such as CNN to avoid allegations of corruption.
The government opened the sale of Tekel late last year. This is the third time the Turkish government has tried to sell the cigarette maker. Previous attempts have failed because the government did not get the price it wanted or it did not get sufficient bids.
The Turkish cigarette market is dominated by Philip Morris, which has a 40 per cent share. Tekel, whose market share has been declining, has about 29 per cent and Japan Tobacco International about 14 per cent.
BAT, the world's second-biggest tobacco group, has a share of almost 7 per cent and believes that further investment in Turkey makes strategic sense as cigarette sales remain stable in the country.
However, the Turkish government has plans to impose a ban on smoking in all public places within the next 18 months, including on public transport and in sports stadiums.
Turkey is the eighthlargest tobacco market in the world.
A strong global presence has helped BAT sustain healthy profits.
Last year, BAT increased prices in many countries, including Brazil and Vietnam, and saw increased demand for its higher-priced brands, including Kent and Dunhill, in emerging markets such as Russia.
An auction for the group, which analysts value at $1bn-$1.5bn (£513m-£769m), could be held by the end of the week.
The other final bidders are one consortium that includes Turkish conglomerate Dogan Holding; another consortium including the Turkish construction group Lima Insaat; and the private equity firm Cinven, which is bidding in a consortium under the name of Strand Investment.
The auction will be shown on Turkish television and is also expected to be recorded by international channels such as CNN to avoid allegations of corruption.
The government opened the sale of Tekel late last year. This is the third time the Turkish government has tried to sell the cigarette maker. Previous attempts have failed because the government did not get the price it wanted or it did not get sufficient bids.
The Turkish cigarette market is dominated by Philip Morris, which has a 40 per cent share. Tekel, whose market share has been declining, has about 29 per cent and Japan Tobacco International about 14 per cent.
BAT, the world's second-biggest tobacco group, has a share of almost 7 per cent and believes that further investment in Turkey makes strategic sense as cigarette sales remain stable in the country.
However, the Turkish government has plans to impose a ban on smoking in all public places within the next 18 months, including on public transport and in sports stadiums.
Turkey is the eighthlargest tobacco market in the world.
A strong global presence has helped BAT sustain healthy profits.
Last year, BAT increased prices in many countries, including Brazil and Vietnam, and saw increased demand for its higher-priced brands, including Kent and Dunhill, in emerging markets such as Russia.
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