Dunhill

Dunhill is a British luxurious cigarette owned and manufactured by British American Tobacco. The brand name commemorates the English tobacconist and inventor Alfred Dunhill. In the United Kingdom, it is registered and manufactured in Westminster, City of Westminster, London.

Product type : Luxury cigarette

Owner: British American Tobacco

Produced by: British American Tobacco

Country: United Kingdom

Introduced: 10 March 1907; 115 years ago in London

Markets: The brand is or was sold globally, in nearly 70 countries.

Tagline: Hygienic Cigarette

HISTORY

Dunhill was founded in London on 10 March 1907 when tobacconist and inventor Alfred Dunhill opened a small tobacconist’s shop on Duke Street in the St James’s area.

He offered tobacco blends tailored for the individual customer. It was introduced in 1908 and was, less than glamorously, called the Absorbal.

It was designed to counter any perceived health risk and had a world first – a cotton wool filter tip. Its slogan was the “Hygienic Cigarette”.

Dunhill cigarettes had a royal warrant from 1927 until 1995.

In 1939 the brand was introduced in the United States by Philip Morris USA who leased the marketing rights for the U.S. and in 1962, “Dunhill International” was introduced.

Dunhill cigarettes are usually priced above the average for cigarettes in the region where they are sold, due to the use of higher-quality tobacco.

Dunhill (minus the “International”) is a more expensive version produced by BAT, and are sold in European (including Russian), Asian-Pacific,South African and Canadian markets.

Dunhill cigarettes were favoured by gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson.

DUNHILL also markets a line of cigarillos in Malaysia. It is made of 100% tobacco inside out, whereby even the cigarette wrapper is made from tobacco using homogenized tobacco leaves.

Africa

In 2012, it was reported that British American Tobacco was breaking anti-tobacco rules in Nigeria and South Africa by advertising their Dunhill brand illegally in both countries.

It was reported that in South Africa, a 14 year old girl was giving away the cigarettes, but also that BAT engages in industrial espionage, intensive cross-border smuggling, competitor tyranny, and infiltrating governments.

Despite South Africa having one of the toughest anti-tobacco laws in Africa, the company failed to comply with the law, pushing on in both government fronts and covert advertising and promotions.

In Nigeria meanwhile, BAT controls 84% of the cigarette market. In 2010, while markets in Turkey, Iran and South Africa declined, BAT’s profit from the African and Middle East regions grew by £134 million to £858 million, driven largely by its Nigerian market.