Altadis was a multinational purveyor and manufacturer of cigarettes, tobacco and cigars. Altadis was formed via a 1999 merger between Tabacalera, the former Spanish tobacco monopoly and, the former French tobacco monopoly. Through its international holdings, including ownership of the former Consolidated Cigar Holdings and half ownership of the Cuban state tobacco monopoly, Habanos S.A., Altadis was the largest producer of mass market and premium cigars in the world, as well as the fourth largest producer of tobacco products. The company was acquired by the British tobacco giant Imperial Tobacco in 2008.
In 1926, France concentrated its tobacco industry into a single state-run monopoly called SEIT. The production of matches was added to the state monopoly's purview in 1935 and the company was renamed SEITA. Following the end of World War II, Spain similarly established a state-owned tobacco monopoly called Tabacalera, Sociedad Anonima, Compañia Gestora del Monopolio de Tabacos y Servicios Anejos, commonly known as Tabacalera. Throughout the decades of the 1960s and 1970s, national markets were gradually opened up to the importation of foreign tobacco brands and the national tobacco monopolies of both France and Spain were weakened and gradually privatized, with SEITA employees losing status as civil servants in 1962 and the company losing both its monopoly of tobacco cultivation and tobacco sales by 1971.
Acquisitions
purchased Consolidated Cigar Holdings Inc. of Fort Lauderdale in the United States. Consolidated Cigar was a large purveyor of cigars such as the Dominican made editions of Romeo y Julieta and Montecristo. In August 2000, Consolidated Cigar and Havatampa, owned by Tabacalera, merged to form Altadis USA. In September 2000 Altadis purchased a 50% interest in the Cuban state tobacco monopoly, Habanos SA. In 2003, Altadis acquired the internet seller 800-JR Cigar, Inc., one of the largest cigar retailers in the United States.
Western Europe’s third largest cigarette manufacturer, Altadis produced and sold blond, regular and dark cigarettes. Its major markets included the United States, Spain and France. In 2004, Altadis Group economic sales rose 3.9% to euro 3.518 million with a staff of 27 500 people.
Appointments
In January 2019, Altadis announced new heads of sales and consumer marketing, in the face of Paul Waller and Brad WInstead.
