Philip Morris targets illegal tobacco trade
Manufacturer trialling education programme for independents as survey shows the use of illicit tobacco products by consumers has doubled in Manchester in the last 12 months. Tobacco company Philip Morris is using its newly created sales force to trial an education programme for 250 independent retailers in Manchester after research found 20% of cigarettes smoked in the north-west of England were contraband.
Manchester has been chosen to trial the programme after Philip Morris test purchasers in the city were able to buy illicit tobacco products on 32 separate occasions over a three-day period – more than in any other location during 2014. A separate survey of discarded cigarette packs in Manchester by brand protection agency MSIntelligence showed the use of bootlegged, smuggled or counterfeit cigarettes had doubled in the city in just over a year.
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