British American Tobacco

British American Tobacco (BAT) is the second largest cigarette company in the world.

Established in in 1902, when The United Kingdom's Imperial Tobacco Company and The American Tobacco Company of the USA agree to form a joint venture, the British-American Tobacco Company Ltd. The parent companies agree not to trade in each other's domestic territory and to assign trademarks, export businesses and overseas subsidiaries to the joint venture. James 'Buck' Duke becomes its Chairman. The British American Tobacco business thus began life in countries as diverse as Canada, China, Germany, South Africa and Australia, but not in the UK or USA.

In 1999 it acquired Rothmans International, which included a share in a factory in Myanmar. This made it the target of criticism from human rights groups. It sold its share of the factory on November 6, 2003 after a "exceptional request" from the British government.

In 2003, BAT acquired ETI — Ente Tabacchi Italinai S.p.A, Italy's state tobacco company. The important acquisition would elevate BAT to the number two position in Italy, the second largest tobacco market in the European Union. The scale of the enlarged oprations would bring significant opportunities to compete and grow ETI's local brands and BAT's international brands.

Brands include Dunhill, Lucky Strike, Kent, State Express 555, Rothmans, Peter Stuyvesant, Benson & Hedges, Kool, Pall Mall, Viceroy, Winfield, and IE users.

• ; The Guardian; November 7, 2003