British American Tobacco - Geographic expansion of glo™ continues with launch in Russia

• glo™ is a revolutionary Tobacco Heating Product. Its vapour contains around 90-95% less toxicants compared with conventional cigarettes*.
• glo™ provides smokers with a tobacco product which is potentially less risky than cigarettes.
• The device is unique in its simplicity and intuitiveness: it has only one button and a single charge lasts up to 30 sessions.
• Kent Neostiks™ are manufactured at BAT’s factory in Saint Petersburg.

British American Tobacco is to begin selling its innovative Tobacco Heating Product glo™ in Russia. glo™ heats tobacco at 240°C and the vapour formed during the heating process has around 90-95% less toxicants* than the smoke of conventional cigarettes. The device has only one button and a single charge lasts up to 30 sessions.

Commenting on the launch, Attila Kundrak, BAT Russia’s General Manager, said: “We believe glo™ has the potential to transform the way Russian smokers consume tobacco. Our ambition is to achieve critical mass with this offer in the short term and become the leader in the Russian market for heated tobacco.”

glo™ technology was designed at British American Tobacco’s research and development centre in the UK and its development involved more than 100 scientists, engineers, designers and tobacco experts. glo™ is already sold in Japan, Switzerland, Canada and South Korea, with Russia becoming the fifth market in which it is available.

 In Russia, glo™ will be available in five colours – silver, graphite, blue, champagne and pink. Kent Neostiks™, developed specially for glo™, are available in three flavours: Classic Tobacco, Citrus Mix and Refreshing Mix.

glo™ will be priced at 3,500 rubles, while a pack of Neostiks™ will be available for 130 rubles. glo™ can be pre-ordered in at www.myglo.ru from 19 October. The device and Kent Neostiks™ will be available in monobrand shops and retail chains shortly. The sales universe will be gradually expanded.

“Kent Neostiks™ are manufactured at BAT’s Saint Petersburg factory and exported to several countries, including Japan, Switzerland and Canada. The factory is one of British American Tobacco’s most modern factories worldwide. It was the first in the world to produce Neostiks™. BAT Russia has so far invested around one billion rubles in the production of heated tobacco sticks in Saint Petersburg,” Attila Kundrak said.

In the past six years, British American Tobacco has invested over US$1.5 billion in the development and commercialisation of alternative, potentially less risky Next Generation Products (Tobacco Heating Products, Vapour Products and hybrid systems). British American Tobacco already has Next Generation Products available in 15 markets across the globe. In 2018, the Group plans on expanding the geography of its potentially reduced risk products to over 40 markets.

More on glo™

glo™ is a revolutionary tobacco heating technology. The device heats tobacco at 240°C and the vapour formed by the heating process has a natural tobacco taste and contains around 90-95% less toxicants than the smoke of conventional cigarettes*.

Kent Neostiks™ contain tobacco uniquely processed for heating. glo™ meets the highest quality and safety standards and has features to prevent overheating and to protect it from being charged incorrectly.

The key advantage of glo™ is its simple and intuitive design: there’s only one button and a single charge lasts up to 30 sessions.

Notes for editors

BAT Russia is a leading company in the Russian tobacco market. At the end of 2016, its market share was 22.52%. Its brand portfolio includes well-known international and Russian brands, such as Dunhill, Kent, Vogue, Rothmans, Lucky Strike, Yava Gold, Alliance and Yava.

BAT Russia employs around 3,000 people and operates two state-of-the-art factories in Saratov and Saint Petersburg. In 2016, BAT Russia doubled its investment in its factories from 2.8 billion rubles in 2015 to 5.6 billion rubles.

2016 was a record year for BAT Russia in terms of its contribution to the Russian economy. Overall, it paid 130.5 billion rubles in taxes compared with 102.7 billion rubles in 2015.