Focus On Tobacco & Accessories: 20 February

Focus On: Tobacco & Accessories by Ronan Hegarty

Download the synopsis here

Publishing: 20 February 2021

Advertising deadline: 5 February

Submissions deadline: 2 February

The Story

A million people quit smoking in the months after Covid-19 hit Britain, according to analysis by ASH and UCL. It’s clear why: smokers are at greater risk of dying from the virus. Despite the greater number of non-smokers in Britain, sales of tobacco & smoking accessories rose significantly in 2020 (rolling tobacco grew by 23.5%; cigarettes by 2.5%), as the supply of illicit cigarettes and tobacco from overseas was throttled by the pandemic. How significant was the rise in people giving up smoking compared to previous years? How big an impact did the decline in the illicit trade have on sales? With menthol and other flavoured lines banned last May, what are the fastest growing parts of the market? And what does the coming year have in store for this market?

Key themes

Nielsen data: Using Kantar commentary, we explain the reasons behind the rise and fall of the sub categories that make up this market.

The illicit trade/quitting smoking: What was the extent of the illicit trade of tobacco before and after the pandemic? Plus we analysis historic figures on giving up smoking to see if there was a spike in 2020 driven by Covid.

Accessories: What are the latest developments in tobacco accessories?