JT Plans Recovery From Massive Volume Hit in April

Source from:  Tobacco Reporter 05/13/2011

Japan Tobacco Inc's sales volume during April, at 2.2 billion, was down by 81.1 per cent on that of April 2010, according to a preliminary report issued today. The April 2010 sales volume figure, of 12.0 billion, was itself down by 8.2 per cent on that of April 2009. The company's net domestic cigarette sales excluding tax during April 2011, at ¥12.3 billion, were down by 74.8 per cent on those of April 2010, which themselves were down by 8.1 per cent on those of April 2009. The losses were not unexpected following the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11. Some of the company's factories were damaged and its distribution lines disrupted. It started shipping seven products on April 11, added another nine products on April 25 and another nine products on May 9. Yesterday, in its eighth and final report on the aftermath of the earthquake, JT provided a schedule for increasing the number of products shipped to 73, which will involve adding 11 products to the list on June 6, 22 products by early July and 15 by early August. Twenty three products that had low volumes that were expected to decrease further in the future have been discontinued. Ending on an upbeat note, JT said that in addition to ensuring it would have the systems in place to ship its 73 products by early August, it remained committed to improving the aroma, taste, design and package configurations of its products. 'Furthermore, we will do everything we can to bolster our competitiveness with an aim of regaining our market share as quickly as possible through initiatives including active new product launches around main brands and initiating effective sales promotion activities,' the company said. Enditem