Philip Morris USA introduces - Marlboro Blend No. 54 - menthol cigarettes..

June 20, 2009 - Altria Group Inc.’s Philip Morris USA is introducing a new menthol version of its Marlboro cigarette this week that will compete with Lorillard Inc.’s Newport and Reynolds American Inc.’s Camel Crush (cigarette that contains a menthol capsule in the filter that provides flavoring when compressed).

The cigarette, called Marlboro Blend No. 54, has a “richer, bolder” flavor than Philip Morris USA’s regular Marlboro menthol and Marlboro Smooth menthol cigarettes, Greg Mathe, an Altria spokesman, said by telephone today.

Cigarette manufacturers shipped about 100 billion menthol cigarettes last year, or 28.6 percent of the total U.S. market, according to the Web site of Greensboro, North Carolina-based Lorillard. Menthol’s share has advanced for four straight years from 26.4 percent in 2004, according to the Web site. Total U.S. cigarette shipments dropped 3.4 percent last year, said Lorillard, the third-largest U.S. tobacco company. It says on its Web site it’s the biggest in menthol cigarettes with its Newport brand accounting for 33.7 percent of shipments in 2008. Marlboro’s menthol market share is about 18 percent, Phelps said. Philip Morris USA makes about half of the cigarettes sold in the U.S. It relies on Marlboro, the top-selling cigarette, to drive profit and market-share gains.

Related news briefs - TobaccoWatch.org: C-store update: from Light, Ultra-lights to Colors; etc..; C-Store Update - Philip Morris USA to introduce another Marlboro menthol cigarette...

Reference: Altria Introduces ‘Richer, Bolder’ Marlboro Menthol Cigarette by Chris Burritt, Bloomberg.com, 6/19/2009.