Swedish Match

Company History and Ownership

  • Swedish Match AB is a multinational tobacco company headquartered in Stockholm.
  • The company's origins can be traced back to 1868 and Ivar Kreuger.
  • Svenska Tändsticks Aktiebolaget (STAB) was founded in 1917 by Ivar Kreuger in Jönköping.
  • STAB became the world's largest match manufacturer through acquisitions and mergers.
  • AB Svenska Tobaksmonopolet was founded in 1915 by the Swedish government.
  • In 1980, STAB changed its name to Swedish Match.
  • In 1992, Procordia acquired Swedish Match and integrated its operations.
  • Swedish Match became an independent company in 1994.
  • In 2021, 78.3% of Swedish Match was owned by foreign investors.

Operations and Products

  • Swedish Match manufactures various tobacco products, including snus, nicotine pouches, moist snuff, cigars, chewing tobacco, and chew bags.
  • The company also sells complementary products like razors, batteries, and light bulbs.
  • The main products are snus, nicotine pouches, and other smokeless products.
  • The US division produces chewing tobacco, cigars, moist snuff, and nicotine pouches for the American market.
  • Swedish Match has three divisions: Europe, US, and Lights.
  • Production units are located in Brazil, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Sweden, and the US.
  • The company has 15 factories.

Market Position and Competition

  • Majority of sales and operating profits come from smokeless tobacco products.
  • Smokeless products accounted for 67% of sales and 74% of operating profit in 2021.
  • Matches and lighters accounted for 7% of sales and 4% of operating profit.
  • Cigars accounted for 26% of sales and 23% of operating profit.
  • Sales are generated mainly in Scandinavia and the US.
  • Swedish Match is the market leader in snus in Sweden and Norway.
  • Swedish Match is active in the smokeless products and cigar categories.

Smokefree Products

  • Primary markets for smokefree products are Scandinavia and the US.
  • Operating profit for smokefree products increased in 2021.
  • Snus market in the US is about $175 million.
  • Swedish Match has about 10% of the US snus market.

Cigars, Matches, and Lighters

  • Swedish Match produced 1.1 billion sticks of cigars in 2014.
  • Acquisitions between 1999 and 2010 gave Swedish Match a strong position in the US premium cigar market.
  • Swedish Match's cigar business is now limited to machine-made mass-production brands.
  • Swedish Match supplies matches worldwide.
  • Lighters have important markets in Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia, Scandinavia, France, and the UK.
  • Production in 2021 included 59 billion matchsticks and 325 million lighters.

Swedish Match Data Sources

Reference URL
Glossary https://www.alternix.com/blogs/glossary-of-terms/swedish-match
Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_Match
Wikidata https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q52855
Knowledge Graph https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/030j7g
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