Phillip Morris Increases Sales by 4 Percent in First Half of 2010

Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI), one of the world's largest tobacco producers, in April-June 2010 increased sales by 4% in Ukraine year-over-year, reads a financial report by the company. The rise in sales over the period is linked to growth in buyers' demand ahead of the increase in excise duties on tobacco from July 1, 2010. Referring to data from A.C. Nielsen, PMI said that its share of the Ukrainian tobacco market in Q2, 2010 remained unchanged at 35.7%. In H1, 2010 the company cut sales in Ukraine by 10.9%, which is a consequence of the increase in taxes on tobacco. A.C. Nielsen said that PMI's share of the Ukrainian tobacco market in January-June grew by 0.1 percentage notches, to 35.9%. Philip Morris International Inc. runs over 50 factories and sells tobacco in 160 countries. According to its own estimates, it occupies 15.6% of the world tobacco market. Enditem