Aug 10 (Reuters) – Britain’s Imperial Brands is preparing to cut thousands of jobs in key markets, including the United States and Europe, to reduce costs, Bloomberg News reported on Monday citing people familiar with the matter.
Shares of the tobacco firm fell 5.3% to 2,643 pence by 1424 GMT.
• The first phase of layoffs will affect staff working human resources, finance and procurement and supply chain at the company’s unit ITG Brands, which covers the U.S., the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, the report said.
• The second phase will target the unit’s legal, marketing, and insights and intelligence teams, with affected employees scheduled to be notified in April and cuts to begin mid-year, according to Bloomberg.
• “Over time, the changes we are making will have an impact across our global market footprint,” a company spokesperson said in a statement without providing details on the number of jobs affected.
• The Winston cigarette maker warned of higher costs stemming from the Iran war in May, as the whole tobacco industry suffers from a terminal decline in traditional cigarettes and mounting regulatory challenges.
• Imperial Brands, which employed about 25,800 staff globally at the end of 2025, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
• Some ITG Brand roles will be outsourced to the company’s strategic partner Capgemini SE before the year-end, the Bloomberg reported.
• The company has also been in contact with relevant bodies in the European Union about planned redundancies, which are subject to consultation, the report added.
(Reporting by Yamini Kalia and Rishab Shaju in Bengaluru; Editing by Joyjeet Das)
