Tobacco manufacturer JTI has sponsored a pilot test purchasing scheme to help retailers in the north west tackle under-age tobacco sales. The £400,000 programme was carried out by test purchasing company Serve Legal, which carried out more than 6,000 test purchases over eight months. The scheme, which visited a random selection of 2,500 independents in towns and cities including Blackpool, Manchester and Liverpool, saw retailers…

Tobacco manufacturer JTI has removed its gantry from a Leicester convenience store after its owners were prosecuted for selling illegal tobacco. Sudhir Radia and Suresh Radia of Radia’s Superstore pleaded guilty to possession of tobacco products which didn’t carry the legally required health warnings. They were each fined £1,000 plus costs by Leicester magistrates. Paul Williams, UK head of corporate affairs for JTI, commented: “Given…

A row has broken out over the latest ad from JTI in its fight against plain packaging for tobacco products. The national press ad shows a 2011 communication from the Department of Health which states that “there isn’t any hard evidence to show that [plain packaging] works”. JTI – whose brands include Benson & Hedges and Silk Cut – said the letter had been obtained…

Mayfair and Silk Cut cigarette supplier JTI has called for more prosecutions and tougher penalties to curb tobacco- related fraud. In a new report on cross-border shop- ping and smuggling, the company said initiatives aimed at reducing smoking – including higher taxes and the display ban – would cause more illegal trade in non-UK duty-paid tobacco, which HM Revenue & Customs figures show are already…

More than a quarter of tobacco smoked in the UK is non-duty paid, according to estimates from Japan Tobacco International. JTI found that on average, 27% of cigarettes and roll-your-own tobacco avoided UK taxes. And it warned that expected tax hikes in the Budget on March 21 could encourage more duty fraud by raising tobacco prices even further ahead of other EU countries.  UK managing…

JTI has launched its first value roll-your-own tobacco brand – Sterling Rolling. The launch aims to build on the success of Sterling cigarettes – the UK’s leading value cigarette brand, according to Nielsen. Sterling Rolling will be available in 12.5g and 25g packs, rrp £3.37 and £6.60 respectively. JTI communications head Jeremy Blackburn said: “Sterling is currently the UK’s number one value cigarette brand, growing…