Rothmans, Benson & Hedges (RBH) is a Canadian manufacturer and distributor of tobacco products. It was formed by the merger of the Canadian units of Rothmans International and Benson & Hedges, owned by Philip Morris. When British American Tobacco bought Rothmans in 1999, it spun off its 60% share of Rothmans, Benson & Hedges as a public company, Rothmans Inc. Philip Morris International bought Rothmans Inc. in 2008.
Brands
RBH owned or otherwise controls a wide variety of cigarette brands. Some of these are listed and expanded upon below.
Craven A: This brand is a part of the RBH "premium brand strategy", principally within the Canadian market. The brand has experienced "long-term declines in market share", in part due to the elimination of all sponsorship activities in Canada in October 2003. The brand has been closely associated with a number of entertainment events in Canada. Among these has been the "Just for Laughs" Canadian Comedy Tour in March 1999.
Davidoff: As of April 2007, RBH has started importing Davidoff cigarettes for the Canadian and Australian markets. The package does, however, state that they are still made in Germany, unlike some international cigarettes sold in Canada, which are made only in Canada.
Benson & Hedges: The company's flagship brand offered in three formats: King Size (Black, Gold, Silver), 100s (Regular, Sterling and DeLuxe, with a menthol version) and Superslims (Black, White, and Menthol).
Rothmans: The company's other flagship brand.
Belmont: Another flagship brand, offered as King Size, Regulars, and Compact King Size (Belmont Edge (Micro in Quebec)).
Belvedere: A premium cigarette brand, offered in both regular and king size. In Nova Scotia, a 25 pack of king size Belvedere cigarettes can cost just under $19 CAD. Belvedere-branded empty cigarette tubes and rolling tobacco are also available for purchase.
Number 7: A mid-tier brand.
Mark Ten: A low mid-tier brand offered in Quebec and Atlantic Canada.
Canadian Classics: A discount/value brand. This brand is known as Québec Classique in Quebec.
Accord: A discount/value brand. Brand variants offered are Red, Blue, and Green (Menthol).
Next: A budget brand.
Philip Morris: A budget brand
Rothmans has been involved in a number of lawsuits in Canada. In a key suit which commenced in 2006, Rothmans was criminally prosecuted for fraud and conspiracy for supporting the smuggling of cigarettes on the black market in the early 1990s. The allegation was that Rothmans encouraged smuggling in order to be able to convince Canadian governments to reduce cigarette taxes and thereby discourage that very smuggling. Rothmans pleaded guilty to the charges in 2008 and agreed to pay a fine of $100 million.
