Altria Group, Inc. (Altria) First Shareholders Meeting Since Spinoff, Richmond, VA May 28, 2008..

May 29, 2008 - Altria Group, Inc. (Altria) First Shareholders Meeting Since Spinoff, Richmond, VA May 28, 2008.. Altria Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Michael E. Szymanczyk (suh-MAN-sihk) presided and discussed the state of the company. As of May 28, 2008, Altria owned 100% of each of Philip Morris USA Inc. (PM USA), John Middleton Co. (Middleton) and Philip Morris Capital Corporation, and approximately 28.6% of SABMiller plc (one of the world’s leading brewers with brewing interests or major distribution agreements in over 60 countries spread across six continents. Szymanczyk said the company has made "remarkable progress" in its testing and marketing of its Marlboro-branded moist smokeless tobacco and spitless product called snus (snoose). Szymanczyk said the company already has made a number of modifications to those products based on input from consumers in the test markets. "We're making remarkable progress," he said. "We've learned a lot that will allow us to efficiently develop our products further." As has been stated before, the company will deal with fewer cigarette sales by capitalizing on its Marlboro brand and selling more smokeless products.

Shareholders Demand Philip Morris USA Stop Interfering In Health Policy..

Some related news briefs. Altria - Philip Morris USA (PM) has been directly involved in writing the U.S. bill to regulate tobacco..; Three of the four largest U.S. cigarette makers are no longer a smart investment..; Altria Group's first-quarter 2008 profit falls 11 per cent on spinoff costs..; Philip Morris International (PMI) has better prospects than Altria..; Altria's growth depends on the Marlboro name..; Executives Very Disappointed in Sales of the Entire SNUS Segment.. (TobaccoWatch,org)