MOROCCO TOBACCO MARKET FACES TRANSFORMATION

BY PAUL COCHRANE MOROCCO'S US$1.37 billion tobacco market is undergoing a transformation following Altadis' full buyout of the country's tobacco monopoly earlier this year, with the distribution process to be overhauled and leaf production increased and diversified away from dark tobacco. Altadis acquired 80% of the government-run Régie des Tabacs (RTM) in an international tender in 2003 for US$1.51 billion, giving Altadis a monopoly over imports, distribution, production, and growing until 2008. In September the Franco-Spanish multinational acquired the ...


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