New strike for pockets of smokers
The West Indian Tobacco Company Ltd has announced raise of prices for some brands of cigarettes. Company explains the raise resulted from outside of company factors, as increase in the shipping costs, tobacco and of the cost of plastics and resins. Maybe, the company tries to maintain the stability and low prices, but because of the above mentioned changes, this bold attempt becomes impossible.
According to the pricelist published by West Indian Tobacco Company Ltd, smokers that prefer Dunhill, du Maurier, Broadway and Pall Mall will pay with $1 more for their favorite smoke.
Even the half pack cigarettes don’t remain unaffected. Company increases the prices with 50 cent for all brands, except Pall Mall FF half pack.
Jean-Pierre Du Coudray, Witco’s managing director, proved that this increases comes from the outside factors, but not from the producer: “There was a double digit increase in the cost of tobacco leaves. We know there are cheaper leaves available but we could not compromise the high quality consumers have grown to expect from Witco.”
Also, he added that along mentioned factors, the global increase in the cost of plastics and resins influenced directly the cost of packaging cigarettes.
Jean-Pierre Du Coudray mentioned that additional $1 for a pack of cigarettes is inspired from the increase in shipping costs too.
He said: “We held back as long as we could but we eventually had to pass the cost on to consumers.”
Taking into account all the changes that have and still occur on tobacco market all over the world, it can be presupposed that this raise is just a beginning. Soon, the cigarettes will have recordable high prices. It is not fair for smokers, because in the first instance this raise affects them.
