For many decades, tobacco companies in New Zealand supported and encouraged the population, sports and culture, promoting such brands as Benson & Hedges, Rothmans and Winfield everywhere as discount cigarettes.
In September 1999, Rothmans of Pall Mall (NZ) Ltd. and W.D. & H. O. Wills (NZ) Ltd. merged for the founding of British American Tobacco (New Zealand) Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of British American Tobacco Australasia. This company had to become the leading tobacco manufacturer in New Zealand.
Although Rothmans UK Holdings Limited owns only 2% of the global tobacco market, it is one of the top four tobacco producers.
Rothmans International brand was founded in 1972 under the direction of dr. Anton Rupert, a native South African who ran the Rembrandt Group. His company is one of the largest companies in the mining, textile, brewing and tobacco industries.
Rembrandt (now Compagnie Financier Richemont AG) expanded its reach beyond South Africa through the acquisition of the Rothmans Limited brands in 1954 and Carreras in 1958. Rupert’s initial decision was to allow these brands to develop independently, but with the doubling of resources the competition between them seemed preferable to the creation of the Rothmans International brand.
This organizational project lasted until 1993, when the company underwent a restructuring and formed Vendome – a company dealing with luxury brands – and Rothmans International OJSC, which represents the tobacco market and promotes discount cigarettes worldwide.
In 1995, the Richemont Group acquired all outstanding shares and became the sole owner.
Rothmans is a famous brand of cigarettes with a rich, long history. This brand is known in many countries around the world. These cigarettes appeared for the first time in 1952.
Rothmans cigarettes are made from the highest quality tobaccos according to international quality standards. Otherwise, it would not be able to promote them as discount cigarettes.