Philip Morris International is the leading tobacco corporation across the globe, selling 8 out of 15 most popular cigarette brands, headed by flagship Marlboro, the best-selling tobacco product in the world. In 2008, PMI spun off from Altria, becoming an independent company, with headquarters in New York and Lausanne.

Today, Philip Morris International is supplying the international tobacco markets whereas Altria, by means of its Philip Morris USA tobacco division, markets its cigarette brands and other products across the USA. The main competitor companies of PMI are British American Tobacco, Japan Tobacco International and Imperial Tobacco.

Upon becoming a separate group, PMI was named the biggest international tobacco corporation in the world. And while the sale volumes of tobacco products across the United States are sinking at constant basis and Altria Group struggles to retain the profit growth, Philip Morris International is experiencing sales growth in Asian region and Eastern Europe.

In financial year 2010, PMI’s flagship global brands were available in roughly 180countries, ensuring the tobacco giant’s leading place in worldwide cigarette market (except the USA and China) with 28% market share, as its main brands occupying leadership positions in the majority of markets. The tobacconist markets a wide selection of tobacco products in all market segments, from premium to mid-value and to low-cost brands, including both international and regional cigarette brands.

PMI operates in the following regions:

1. Zone 1 Asia: Japan, Australia, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, etc.
2. Zone 2 Middle East, Africa and East Europe – South Africa, Romania, Ukraine, Egypt, Turkey, etc.
3. Zone 3 West and Central Europe – Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, etc.
4. Zone 4 Latin America and Canada - Canada, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, etc.

Philip Morris International benefits from its wide geographic diversity with magnificent placing in both developing and developed markets. Since he tobacco markets in developing countries, including Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Easters Europe regions are showing growth in revenues and consumption, the tobacco corporation has been expanding its market share through organic growth and other means.

In addition, although markets in developed countries, including Western Europe, Australia, Japan and Canada have been experiencing sale volumes fall, they are still solid markets for PMI leading premium cigarette brands Marlboro, Parliament, and Virginia which yield in higher profits due to higher pricing.

Broad Product Selection

Philip Morris International offers the “discriminatory consumers”, who tend to select brands by the origin or tobacco and loyal to premium quality products, such iconic brands as Marlboro, Parliament, Chesterfield, Virginia, L&M, and Philip Morris; at the same time, the tobacco giant also markets several low-cost cigarette brands – such as Next, Red & White and Bond Street – offered to those adult smokers who are more interested in the low cost of the product, compared to other features. The company as well sells a great variety of regional brands, like Diana in Italy and Mild in Indonesia.

By Sara Norton, Staff Writer. Copyright © 2011 Cigarette-Store.org. All rights reserved.