|
|
|
| SWEDISH MATCH REBOUNDS IN 2nd QUARTER |
|
|
|
Page 2 of 2
>> U.S. premium market: Swedish Match has a 30-35 percent share in a 320 million-cigar market with the long-term trend considered “stable, but with fluctuations year to year.” >> U.S. machine-made market: Swedish Match has a 6.1 percent share in a 5-6 billion cigars-a-year market, with a long-term trend considered “up” for the future. >> Europe and elsewhere: Swedish Match has a 15 percent market share in Europe (5 billion cigar market) with long-term prospects considered “stable to slightly down.” Overall, Swedish Match continues to prosper, with good performance from its smokeless tobacco brands (Timber Wolf, Longhorn, Red Man); total company-wide sales for the first six months of 2008 increased by six percent to $548.3 million (converted) and operating profits rose 14 percent to $122.4 million. The company estimated that the weakness in the U.S. and South African currencies hurt its performance in its native currency by 175 million kronor or about $29.2 million. Ouch. Spry 100-year-old smokes ten cigars a day! Jack Priestly is a retired baker living in Pinchbeck, England. He turned 100 on July 12, enjoying a lifestyle which includes 10 cigars a day and a shot of whisky with his breakfast tea! “I love my cigars,” he told the British newspaper The Mirror. “I wouldn’t be without them. I don’t care about the brand - a cigar is a cigar. But the bigger, the better.” Priestly, whose wife died in 1993 (she was 83), thinks he has smoked about 153,000 cigars and 715,400 cigarettes in his lifetime, not to mention about 925 bottles of whisky. He started smoking cigarettes at age nine, but switched to cigars in 1966 because he believed them to be healthier. He started adding a shot of whisky to his breakfast at age 24. “I’ve been operated on from toe to head but I’ve still got a good set of lungs. There’s nothing wrong with them.” He initially switched from cigarettes to a pipe, but Priestly’s doctor didn’t approve. “My doctor wasn’t a pipe fan. He advised me to smoke cigars instead. And who am I to ignore doctor’s orders?” That was 42 years ago. Priestly stays busy with gardening, keeping chickens and going shopping on his motor scooter; he gave up driving a car about two months ago. “I don’t feel my age. I’ve still got the mind of a young man. But if I had the company of a good woman, I’m sure I’d feel 40 years younger in a flash.” Happy birthday, youngster! Our reader’s-only special of the week! The Licenciados brand, dressed with the familiar carriage on the box, has been a winner for Mike’s Cigars since it was introduced in 1989. Mild-to-medium in body, it smokes easily with a perfect draw thanks to the artisans at the MATASA factory in the Dominican Republic. This week, Mike’s is rewarding Licenciados fans with even more cigars! Buy any box of Licenciados – including the famous Supreme Maduro series – at Mike’s discounted prices of $54.95 to $79.95 for boxes of 25 and you’ll get another 10 Licenciados Toros (6 x 50) for free, an additional $25.50 in value! For example, for the Supreme Maduro 400s (our favorite), you’ll get 35 cigars for $68.95, about $1.97 each! Click here to take advantage of this readers-only special. Our thanks to Mike’s for the offer; you can buy as many of these specials as you like until 9 a.m. Eastern time on Monday, July 28, or until supplies run out. ~ Rich Perelman CLASSIFIED ADVERTISINGCigar Humidors and Cigar Accessories at Humidor Vault! Your online cigar humidor source, with rock-bottom pricing and fantastic customer support!Like sports? Get news and commentary you won’t see in your morning newspaper at TheSportsExaminer.com! Join the examination! A limited amount of classified advertising is available in this space on a weekly basis. For details, call Pat Harris at (213) 365-7965 or inquire by email by clicking here. Have an opinion? You can send it using the “Comment” button below! Don’t forget to register for our drawing for free cigars and accessories! Just click on the “Register & Win” button above; enter today! Looking for a cigar party? Take a look at our exclusive list of hundreds of cigar events across the country, listed by state and date, only on CigarCyclopedia.com!
Bookmark
Email This
Comments (0)
 Write comment
         |
Subscribe to this comment's feed
| < Following Column | Previous Column > |
|---|
 |
 |
Did you know?
“Although introduced by Robert Levin of Holt's, Ashton cigars are named for British pipemaker William Ashton Taylor.
