The increase was due to the good results registered by Ronson and St. George cigarette brands, according to ACT Media reports.
Gallaher began manufacturing in Romania in a production facility located in the former cigarette factory of another tobacco producer, Papastratos.
The Romanian factory now works at full capacity, registering "volumes that have grown gradually over the last period," the company's officials said. This year, Gallaher Austria Tabak - the Romanian Branch has announced investments worth 4 million euros, meant to expand the company's market share to some 3-4 percent up from one percent by end-2005.
Gallaher brands in the local market include cigarettes St. George, LD, Ronson, Stateline and Memphis. The Romanian cigarette market is worth about one billion euros annually, being mainly covered by the companies British American Tobacco, Japan Tobacco International and Philip Morris, which account for more than 90 percent of the market by value.
