Altria Group Inc, the parent company of Phillip Morris., the United States leading cigarette manufacturer, stated to its shareholders Wednesday that previous purchases and a shift of attention to the constantly rising market share of smokeless items placed the company in a preferable position for long-time leadership in the industry.

The producer of Marlboro, Chesterfield, Parliament, L&M and Virginia Slims As well confirmed the whole-year revenue direction and demonstrated the strong growth of the market share of the company’s brands in the major categories of tobacco products.

Michael Szymanczyk, Altria’s CEO repeated several times to the board of directors about the significance of smokeless items for the enterprise since the smokers turn switch from cigarettes to other tobacco products in search of less expensive and harmful shots of nicotine.

Szymanczyk admitted that Philip Morris USA faced a 3 percent decline in the volume of cigarettes sold in 2008 fiscal years as compared to 2007 fiscal year.   

According to the market analysts, the sale volumes of cigarettes will remain degressive because of constantly increasing prices, strict indoor smoking policies and health issues. The federal cigarette tax jumped by 62 cents, from 39 cents per pack to $1,01 on April 1, what would inevitably contribute to a massive drop in sales when assessing the aggregate volumes.

Trying to expand the variety of goods offered to consumers, Philip Morris USA as well as the major rivals has created a series of smokeless tobacco items to retain smokers as consumers of other products of the company. The tobacco companies are attempting to convert offer smokers a possibility to switch to such items like chewing tobacco, snuff, and snus — pouches that look like teabags and can be chewed with an ordinary gum.

Altria has made use of its best-selling brand Marlboro to lure smokers to several of its smokeless products. The company’s Chief Executive stated that Marlboro Snus item had a very promising feedback when it was introduced to test markets. Therefore, the manufacturers are optimistic about the subsequent growth of that product’s popularity.  

To add its offerings, Altria completed its $10.4 billion acquisition of smokeless tobacco company UST Inc. in January, giving it market-leading brands such as Skoal and Copenhagen. Earlier, it bought the John Middleton cigar company, maker of the Black & Mild brand.

 Szymanczyk affirmed he thinks the sales of the smokeless products rose almost 7 percent within the first quarter of the current fiscal year in comparison with the first quarter of the previous year, whereas volumes large cigars sales went up 4 percent as compared to the previous year.

Altria’s profits went 50 percent down in 2008, after the split-up of Philip Morris International, the maker of Marlboro and other aforementioned brands for overseas distributions, last spring.