Pridať nové hodnotenie

LONDON, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Philip Morris International (PMI) on Thursday signalled <br> <br> a slower than anticipated U.S. roll out of its IQOS heated <br> <br> tobacco device, a choice analysts said was positive for its competitors <br> <br> in the short term.<br> <br> <br> <br> The New York-listed Marlboro maker also said it aims for more than two thirds of its net revenues <br> <br> to come from "smoke-free" products by 2030, up <br> <br> from 50% in 2025, as it tries to transform its <br> <br> image from a cigarette purveyor to a driver of the <br> <br> shift to healthier alternatives.<br> <br> <br> <br> Investors have been closely watching IQOS' entry into the U.S., the world's largest market for nicotine products, <br> <br> and had been expecting it from May 2024 next year. Reuters reported on Wednesday that PMI is hiring lobbyists <br> <br> across a host of key U.S. states ahead of the launch.<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Chief Executive Jacek Olczak said IQOS would launch <br> <br> in four cities in two unnamed U.S. states from 2024, but a national launch would only come after PMI receives approval to sell the latest version, known as <br> <br> <a href="https://nofox.ru/user/CaridadFranke/">iqos iluma prime i</a> <br> <br> ILUMA.<br> <br> <br> <br> <u><i>The company was planning to apply for approval <br> <br> in October and expected it from 2025, he continued.</i></u><br> <br> <br> <br> "We need to warm up the tyres," he said of the initial launch,<br> <br> which would help PMI fine tune its approach.<br> <br> <br> <br> A national roll-out of ILUMA would follow but in phases, he <br> <br> continued, adding launching in 10 states in the first year would make sense.<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Meaningful traction for PMI's heated tobacco products in the U.S.<br> <br> "now looks delayed until ILUMA," Owen Bennett, equity analyst at Jefferies, said in a note, adding this was a positive for PMI's rivals.<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Olczak also signalled that PMI's push into non-nicotine products was no longer a priority.<br> <br> <br> <br> It recently scrapped an ambition for $1 billion in net revenues <br> <br> to come from sales of such products by 2025.<br> <br> <br> <br> Instead, PMI will focus its resources on IQOS and nicotine pouch brand ZYN, Olczak said, adding it <br> <br> had been too optimistic around acceptance of big tobacco companies operating <br> <br> outside of nicotine.<br> <br> <br> <br> PMI also announced updated medium-term targets including <br> <br> for revenue and earnings per share, and ambitious volume <br> <br> targets for IQOS and ZYN.<br> <br> <br> <br> ZYN and other oral nicotine products in the U.S. would help <br> <br> drive an expected $2 billion in revenues there in 2024, <br> <br> even before IQOS ILUMA, executives said.<br> <br> <br> <br> PMI shares were up 1.5% on Thursday. (Reporting by Emma Rumney in London and Granth Vanaik in Bengaluru; additional reporting by <br> <br> Ananya Mariam Rajesh in Bengaluru; Writing by Emma Rumney; Editing <br> <br> by Elaine Hardcastle and Josie Kao)
Hodnotenie: 
3
2 + 6 =