British American Tobacco (BAT) reported group volume sales up for first quarter 2008..

May 7, 2008 - Europe's largest cigarette maker, BAT reported group volume sales of 158 billion for the three months to March 31, a one per cent increase on those of the first quarter of 2007. First-quarter shipments of BAT's four main international brands - Kent, Lucky Strike, Dunhill and Pall Mall - grew 6 percent. The total volume of cigarettes sold rose 1 percent. In February BAT paid $4.1 billion for most of Skandinavisk Tobakskompagni and $1.7 billion for Tekel, giving it 60 percent of the cigarette market in Scandinavia and 36 percent in Turkey, respectively.