BAT Wants to Sell Cigarettes in Retail Stores October 27, 2000
News Summary
The British American Tobacco Company (BAT) plans to open hip retain chain stores to promote its Lucky Strike brand of cigarettes, the Wall Street Journal reported Oct. 27.Lucky Strike's distinctive, red bull's-eye logo would be adapted in several ways as the stores' central theme. Named Trans-Urban Trading Co., the stores would feature such merchandise as old-fashioned radios, clothing and high-tech gadgets.
"Many of the items on sale will be typical American products," said Andrew George-Perutz, a senior manager at BAT's licensing unit. Among the items under consideration are leather jackets, 1950s-style food mixers and food items, such as Hershey bars and maple syrup.
For BAT, the stores are another way to promote the Lucky Strike brand in non-tobacco categories, something critics oppose. "There's no protection for children and teens with this kind of brand stretching, whether it's a cafe or a store," said Derek Yach, program director for the World Health Organization's Tobacco-Free Initiative. "This must be seen for what it is: an attempt to maintain marketing of their primary product, which is cigarettes."
The first stores are expected to open late next year in Europe.
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