烟草在线据《俄罗斯SP时代》报道编译 相比要求该公司在烟盒上放置警语标签和反烟活动来说,菲莫国际烟草公司更关心俄罗斯最近加入世界贸易组织后对烟草销售的影响。
菲莫的伊佐拉(Izhora)工厂,即该公司在俄罗斯的两家卷烟生产工厂之一,去年产量减少了2%,为每年生产700亿卷烟,而其市场份额仍增加了0.8%,达到了26.2%。
“该工厂的卷烟产量不会很快上去,世界各地的烟草产量在减少,”菲莫国际公司在俄罗斯和白俄罗斯联营公司事务主管亚历克斯·金姆说。
“俄罗斯是世界第二大烟草市场,去年其市场容量下降了2%,总计为3750亿支卷烟。”
下降的原因是烟草公司和全球禁烟运动之间的斗争不断加剧。
菲莫国际拥有两个最强领域的产品,以及最受欢迎的品牌——百乐门和L&M。这就解释了为什么烟草产量下降并没有影响到它的市场份额。未来可能影响它们的是国家杜马现在正在讨论的立法措施。
其中正在讨论的法律措施之一是在烟盒上强制放置图片警语。这个项目的作者们是基于其他国家比如泰国的经验提出此项目的。
“经过6年在烟盒上使用吸烟危害的图片,泰国吸烟者的人数下降了20%,”2月16日星期四《俄罗斯报》引用该法律的解释称。
今年7月初,卷烟的消费税将增加。
“菲莫伊佐格工厂是最大的纳税人之一;仅在2011年,我们就向俄罗斯所有不同类型的预算和非预算基金支付了450亿卢布(约合15亿美元)的税收和关税,”金姆说。
菲莫伊佐格工厂生产50多个名称的国际品牌,如万宝路、百乐门和细长弗吉尼亚。该工厂的卷烟在俄罗斯和前苏联共和国营销,并出口到其他国家中。伊佐格工厂还出口其他烟草相关产品,如过滤嘴等。
“我们提供的产品定义很模糊,我们尽力告知我们的成人消费者,当他们使用这些产品时所冒的风险,”莫斯科的菲莫销售和营销公司的公司沟通和公共关系经理Maria Kulakhmetova说。
“我们公司是第一个把警语标签放在烟盒上的公司。2003年,我们开始把吸烟危害的传单置于烟盒内。同时,每个人都能在我们的网站上读到吸烟的危害。”
“就图片警语和警语标签而言,它们不会影响需求,”金姆说。
“当警语标签首次出现时,人们很好奇,问问题,然后才开始忽视它们。我们认为风险与俄罗斯加入世贸组织和它与关税联盟中国家的关系有关,”他补充说。“然而,我们对我们的品牌和质量有信心。”
Philip Morris Names Threats to Cigarette Market
SP Times Russia
Feb 22, 2012
Philip Morris International Tobacco Company is more concerned about the influence on tobacco sales of Russia's recent acceptance into the WTO than it is about the warning labels the company is required to put on its cigarette packs and about anti-tobacco campaigns.
Philip Morris Izhora, one of the company's two full cigarette production plants in Russia, decreased production by 2 percent last year — to 70 billion cigarettes per year — while still managing to increase its share of the market by 0.8 percent to 26.2 percent.
"The number of cigarettes produced by the plants won't go up soon, it is decreasing all over the world," said Alexei Kim, director of corporate issues for Philip Morris International affiliated companies in Russia and Belarus.
"Russia has the second biggest tobacco market in the world and its market volume decreased by 2 percent last year, totaling 375 billion cigarettes."
Reasons for the decrease are the growing struggle between tobacco companies and global anti-smoking campaigns.
Philip Morris International owns two of the strongest segments and most popular brands — Parliament and L&M. This explains why the decrease in tobacco production hasn't influenced its share of the market. What might influence it in the future, are legal measures now being discussed in the State Duma.
One of the legal measures under discussion is the obligatory placement of graphic images on cigarette packs. The project's authors base their argument on the experience of other countries such as Thailand.
"After six years of using photo testimonials to the harm of smoking on cigarette packs, the number of smokers in Thailand has decreased by 20 percent," Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper quoted from the explanatory note to the bill Thursday.
Excise tax on cigarettes is also to increase at the beginning of this July.
"Philip Morris Izhora is one of the biggest taxpayers already; in 2011 alone we paid 45 billion rubles ($1.5 billion) in taxes and customs payments to all different types of budget and non-budget funds in Russia," said Kim.
The Philip Morris Izhora plant produces cigarettes under more than 50 names of international brands such as Marlboro, Parliament and Virginia S. The plant's cigarettes are distributed in Russia and former Soviet republics and also exported to other countries. The Izhora plant also exports other tobacco-related products such as filters.
"The product we offer is very ambiguous and we try our best to inform our adult consumers about what risks they are taking [when they use it]," said Maria Kulakhmetova, corporate communication and public relations manager at Philip Morris Sales and Marketing in Moscow.
"Our company was the first to put warning labels on cigarette packs. In 2003, we started putting leaflets about the dangers of smoking inside the packs. Also, everyone can read about the risks of smoking on our web site."
"Concerning the graphic images and warning labels, they won't influence demand," said Kim.
"When the warning labels first came out, people were curious and asked questions, but then just started to ignore them. The risks we have identified are connected with Russia joining the WTO and its relationship with the countries in the Customs Union," he added. "Nevertheless, we are confident in our own brands and their quality."
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