Lucky Strike e Camel they become part of the same family. British American Tobacco, which controls Camel, has, in fact, acquired 57,8% of Reynolds American, which instead controls Lucky Strike, which was not yet in its possession, for 49,4 billion dollars.
The operation thus gives life to the largest listed tobacco company in the world. Bat's goal, which in the last few hours has raised its offer, increasing its cash quota, is to become the tobacco leader in the United States. The acquisition was approved by the board of directors of the two groups and took place partly through an exchange of shares and partly in cash. Each Reynolds share was valued at $59,64, a 26% premium to Reynolds' October 20 closing price
Satisfied the CEO of Bat Nixandro Durante: “We are very happy to have reached an agreement. We have been shareholders of Reynolds since 2004 and have benefited from management successes including the acquisition of Lorillard which we supported with our investment in 2015”.
From the merger of the two companies, brands such as the aforementioned Camel and Lucky Strike, but also Winston, Rothmans, Pall Mall and Dunhill will merge into the same group. The merger between the two is part of a moment of consolidation in the sector, which faces the decrease in demand