BAT Korea Promotes GLO During Its 30th Anniversary Celebration
BAT Korea country manager Kim Eun-ji spoke at a press conference in central Seoul marking the company's 30th anniversary, highlighting their heated tobacco product Glo. BAT Korea shared research findings showing that smokers using its tobacco heating prod
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Kim Eun-ji, the national manager of British American Tobacco Korea, spoke at a press conference held in downtown Seoul to celebrate the company's 30th anniversary, highlighting their heated tobacco product Glo.<\/span><\/div>
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British American Tobacco Korea (BAT) shared a study indicating that smokers using its heated tobacco products (HTPs) have reduced exposure to certain toxic substances found in regular cigarettes. The tobacco company stated that when a person switches from smoking to using HTPs, there is a total reduction of 13 toxic substances, including nicotine.<\/span><\/div>
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Kim stated: "The slogan of British American Tobacco Group is 'A Better Tomorrow,' and our ambitious goal is to create a better future by reducing the harm caused by our products to human health." She added that this vision will have a positive impact in various ways. "...It will be a company that achieves this vision, positively impacting not only the industry but also consumers, society, and employees."<\/span><\/div>
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The company's head of legal and external affairs, Yoon Seok-bae, stated that British American Tobacco hopes the local government will "implement differentiated and reasonable regulations for science-based e-cigarette products," while also mentioning that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recently approved the sale of high-risk modified risk tobacco products.<\/span><\/div>
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Kim acknowledged that while the company's performance has not been the best in recent years, the situation is improving. "Indeed, British American Tobacco's performance has not met expectations in recent years. However, our market share has increased from 11.97% at the end of 2019 to 12.19% this month."<\/span><\/div>
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British American Tobacco sues PMI<\/span><\/div>
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Meanwhile, in the U.S., British American Tobacco has recently filed two patent infringement claims against its main competitor, Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI), one through the International Trade Commission (ITC) and the other in the Virginia federal court. The tobacco company claims it is seeking compensation for damages caused and an injunction against the import of products.<\/span><\/div>
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Both lawsuits in Germany and the U.S. are based on allegations regarding the heating blade technology used in IQOS, which is an earlier version of the technology currently used in BAT's global heated tobacco devices. British American Tobacco plans to launch its Glo series products in Germany this year, while PMI began selling IQOS in the U.S. in 2019, which is the only HnB device approved for sale in the country.<\/span><\/div>
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IQOS market share increases due to other HnB entries<\/span><\/div>
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In 2019, PMI reported a 44.2% increase in IQOS shipments, reaching 59.7 billion units, with a 40.7% increase in the last quarter of the previous year, reaching 17.1 billion units.<\/span><\/div>
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Excluding the U.S., this tobacco giant witnessed a 1.4 percentage point increase in IQOS market share, reaching 5%. By the end of 2019, it was estimated that there were 13.6 million IQOS users, of which 9.7 million were former smokers who had used the device.<\/span><\/div>
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