Product Code Database
Swedish Match AB is a Swedish multinational tobacco company headquartered in Stockholm. It has been owned by the American Philip Morris International since 2022. The company manufactures snus, , moist snuff, tobacco- and nicotine-free pouch products, chewing tobacco, chew bags, tobacco bits, , , , and other fire products with operations in Sweden, Denmark, the United States, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, the Netherlands, and the Philippines. The company's origins can be traced back to 1868, and Ivar Kreuger. Swedish Match has played an important part in Sweden's industrial development.
In May 2022, Philip Morris launched a takeover bid for Swedish Match. Despite some shareholder resistance, by late November 2022 Philip Morris had acquired over 90% ownership, allowing it to begin the compulsory purchase of remaining shares and de-list Swedish Match from the stock market.
During parts of its existence, most recently between 2010 and 2015, the company has been headquartered in the so-called Matchstick Palace, commissioned by Ivar Kreuger in the late 1920s.
Following the death of Ivar Kreuger in 1932, the ownership structure in STAB changed and a number of factories were liquidated. During 1938, STAB's share of the world's matchmaking fell to 20 percent. When the match market declined sharply in the 1950s, STAB looked for new business ventures and acquired more than 50 companies between 1968 and 1976.
In 1980, Svenska Tändsticks AB changed its name to Swedish Match to create unity throughout the group. In 1988 the company was acquired by Stora Enso and was sold two years later to Nederlight. After another two years, Procordia acquired Swedish Match.
During the 1960s, the monopoly on production, import and sale of tobacco was abolished in Sweden. Svenska Tobaksmonopolet was converted to a new state-owned company named Svenska Tobaks AB. In 1971, the ownership of the tobacco group was transferred to Statsföretag, the Swedish Sovereign Wealth Fund, which in 1984 was renamed Procordia.
As a result of the monopoly being abolished and in order to broaden the market, the Dutch cigar company Elisabeth Bas/La Paz (EBAS), the American tobacco manufacturer Pinkerton Tobacco Company (maker of Red Man, a chewing tobacco brand introduced in the U.S. in 1904) and the Dutch cigar producer Willem II were acquired between 1968 and 1989. In 1989, Procodia was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. Volvo acquired part of Procordia in 1990 and became the principal owner together with the Swedish government. To complement the tobacco business, Procordia, in 1992, acquired the match and lighter company Swedish Match from Nederlight.
In 1999, the company sold its cigarette manufacturing to Austria Tabak but is still active as a distributor of cigarettes on the Swedish market. In the same year, Swedish Match expanded its cooperation with PT. Java Match Factory (Jamafac), the biggest safety matches manufacturer in Indonesia, to a joint venture agreement in order to strengthen its position within lights and matches in Southeast Asia. Jamafac was divested in 2005 and now has a license agreement with Swedish Match to produce matches and distribute Cricket Lighters in Indonesia.
In 2009, Swedish Match entered an agreement with Philip Morris International and formed the joint venture company SMPM International, with equal stakes owned by each of the two partners, for exploring and developing new markets for snus and other smokefree tobacco products outside Scandinavia and the United States. The collaboration placed test markets in Tel Aviv, Israel; St. Petersburg, Russia; Taiwan; and nationwide Canada. The joint venture was, however, dissolved in 2015.
In 2010, Swedish Match and Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) formed a new company specialized in cigars. Swedish Match brought its entire cigar business (with the exception of U.S. mass market cigars) and pipe tobacco into the new company, while STG transferred all of its tobacco business. The new company took over the name Scandinavian Tobacco Group. Swedish Match became a partner with 49 percent of the company, and the remaining shares were owned by Skandinavisk Holding A/S. In 2016, STG became publicly listed, and Swedish Match sold most of its shares in the company.
In 2017, Swedish Match acquired V2 Tobacco, a producer of chew bags and snus, and in 2018, Oliver Twist, a producer of tobacco bits. Both companies are Danish and now fully owned by Swedish Match. Also in 2018, Swedish Match bought a 95 percent stake in the Swedish company Gotlandssnus, which produces snus., a tobacco product marketed by Swedish Match]]
In 2022, Swedish Match's shares hit record high as Philip Morris International (PMI) closed a $16 billion dollar deal with the company. PMI completed the acquisition and eventually delisted Swedish Match.
The table below presents an overview of Swedish Match's operations as of 2021:
| Dominican Republic | Production | Cigars | 3,823 |
| Sweden | Head office, production, distribution and sales offices | Snus, nicotine pouches, other pouch products and matches | 1,352 |
| United States | Production and sales offices | Chewing tobacco, cigars, moist snuff and nicotine pouches | 1,300 |
| Brazil | Production and sales offices | Lighters and matches | 476 |
| The Philippines | Production and sales offices | Lighters | 265 |
| Denmark | Production and sales offices | Chew bags, tobacco bits and snus | 121 |
| Netherlands | Production and sales office | Lighters | 109 |
| Norway | Sales offices | No | 49 |
| Turkey | Sales offices | No | 14 |
| Switzerland | Treasury and sales offices | No | 12 |
| Belgium | Public Affairs offices | No | 2 |
Production of matches and lighters
The matches produced by Swedish Match are safety matches and are manufactured in Sweden and Brazil. The entity that produces matches in Sweden, Swedish Match Industries AB, is since 2009 certified according to the Forest Stewardship Council chain of custody standard and the standard for controlled wood. The matches are manufactured according to the European match standards EN 1783:1997.
40 percent of the production is sold in Europe and 60 percent to Africa, Central America, The Caribbean, Oceania and the Middle East. The Swedish manufacturing facilities are located in Tidaholm and Vetlanda. In Brazil, 95% of the wood consumption for safety matches and matchboxes is from Swedish Match's own plantations. Swedish Match produces lighters in the Philippines, the Netherlands and Brazil.
| Snus | General, Göteborgs Rapé, Ettan, Grov, Catch, Kronan, Kaliber, Nick & Johnny and The Lab | Sweden Norway | 59 percent | Imperial Tobacco, BAT, Japan Tobacco International |
| Nicotine pouches | ZYN, VOLT, G.4, Swave | The US and Scandinavia | 15 percent in Scandinavia 64 percent in the US | Imperial Tobacco, BAT, Japan Tobacco International, Altria |
| Moist snuff | Longhorn, Timber Wolf, General | US | 9 percent | Altria, BAT |
| Cigars | White Owl, Garcia Y Vega, Game by Garcia y Vega | US | 22 percent | Swisher, Altria, Imperial Tobacco |
| Chewing tobacco | America's Best Chew (formerly Red Man) | US | 40 percent | National Tobacco, Reynolds American, Swisher |
| Matches | Solstickan, Fiat Lux, Swan, Feudor, Redheads, Tres Estrellas, Sampo, Tordenskjold, Nitedals, Union Match, De Zwaluw, Korona, Le Tre Stelle, Bryant & May, Beehive, Perkuno, The Ship, Quinas, Three Stars, Sirius | UK, Scandinavia, France, Spain, Australia, Brazil, The Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Lithuania, New Zealand, Austria, Belgium | Market leader | |
| Lighters | Cricket Lighters ( Cricket) | Russia, Brazil, Scandinavia, UK, France, Asia | Market leader | Bic, Tokai, Flamagas |
For moist snuff in 2019, Swedish Match was number three in the U.S. market, with 8 percent. The main competitors, in descending order, were Altria (USSTC) and BAT (Reynolds American).
For chewing tobacco in 2019, Swedish Match was number one in the U.S. market, with 41 percent. The main competitors, in descending order, were National Tobacco, Swisher, and BAT (Reynolds American).
For mass market cigars, excluding , in 2019, Swedish Match was number two in the U.S. market, with 22 percent. The main competitors, in descending order, were Swisher, Altria (Middleton), and Imperial Brands (ITG Brands).
For nicotine pouches in 2019, Swedish Match was number two in the Swedish market and number three in the Norwegian market, with 26 and 15 percent, respectively.
For snus and nicotine pouches combined in 2019, Swedish Match was number one in both the Swedish and Norwegian markets, with 60 and 49 percent, respectively. In Sweden, the main competitors, in descending order, were Imperial Brands, BAT, and Japan Tobacco International. In Norway, the main competitors, in descending order, were Imperial Brands and BAT.
In an effort to expand its snus business outside of Sweden and Norway, the company has, since 2009, been selling its Scandinavian market leading brand of snus, General, at tobacco retailers in the US. The distribution of General snus has increased over the years, from being sold in approximately 10,000 stores in 2012 to more than 24,000 stores by the end of 2014.
For the US, snus is a relatively new category while the main smokeless category is moist snuff. Moist snuff is made using fermentation. Snus is made using a steam heat process (much like pasteurisation) and is usually placed under the upper lip, which means that spitting is not necessary.
President and CEO:
Lennart Sundén, 1998–2004
Sven Hindrikes, 2004–2008
Conny Karlsson (born 1955) is chairman of the board since 2007 and board member since 2006.
Lars Dahlgren (born 1970) is president and CEO of Swedish Match since 2008.
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