Bank of America released scanner panel data covering the four weeks that ended May 30, documenting mixed results across major nicotine product categories in the U.S. market.
At the category level, dollar sales of cigarettes declined 3.3% year-over-year, with unit volume down 7.4% and price mix increasing 4.4%. Vapor category dollar sales contracted 17.2%, driven by a 12.5% drop in volume and a 5.3% decline in price mix. Cigar category dollar sales fell 4.4%, with volume down 8.8% and price mix up 4.9%. In contrast, oral and smokeless tobacco dollar sales rose 5.8%, supported by a modest 0.4% increase in volume and a 5.4% improvement in price mix.
The scanner breakdown also highlighted company-level divergences.
Altria Group (NYSE:MO) saw cigarette dollar sales fall 3.2%, with volume down 6.9% and price mix up 4.0%. Altria recorded a 20 basis point gain in cigarette volume share. Its vapor business experienced a steep drop in sales, down 56.9%, as vapor volume decreased 58.9% despite a 5.1% improvement in price mix; this performance corresponded with a 3.1 percentage point decline in vapor share. Cigar sales for Altria increased 3.4%, alongside a 240 basis point gain in cigar share. Altria's oral and smokeless tobacco segment declined 2.9%, with volume down 12.9% and price mix rising 11.5%, and the company lost 4.6 percentage points of share in that segment. The on! Plus moist pouch became nationally available for Altria in late March.
Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) reported a 0.6% increase in smokeless and oral tobacco dollar sales, with underlying volume down 4.9% and price mix up 5.9%. The company lost 180 basis points of smokeless volume share. Philip Morris's cigar sales declined 11.3%, with a 20 basis point loss of share. The ZYN Ultra moist pouch product is being rolled out in the U.S. this month.
British American Tobacco (NYSE:BTI) recorded a 5.3% decline in cigarette dollar sales, with volume down 10.9% and price mix up 6.3%, and the company lost 110 basis points of cigarette volume share. BAT's vapor sales rose 8.8%, and the company gained 800 basis points of vapor share. Its oral and smokeless tobacco sales grew 28.3%, with volume up 26.9% and price mix up 1.1%, translating into a 590 basis point gain in share for that category.
Imperial Brands posted a 2.5% decline in cigarette dollar sales, with volume down 9.5% and price mix up 7.7%, and a 20 basis point loss of share. Imperial's vapor sales fell 21.6% and the company lost 10 basis points of vapor share. Cigar dollar sales for Imperial dropped 10.0%, with a 100 basis point share loss. Its smokeless and oral tobacco segment increased 34.6% and gained 30 basis points of share.
Japan Tobacco (TYO:2914) bucked the broader cigarette trend, recording a 2.6% increase in cigarette dollar sales, with volume up 0.8% and price mix rising 1.8%, producing a 70 basis point gain in cigarette share. Japan Tobacco's vapor sales declined 12.2% while the company maintained its vapor share.
The scanner snapshot underscores divergent dynamics across nicotine formats - cigarette and cigar dollar sales moved lower overall while oral and smokeless categories showed strength. Vapor displayed notable weakness in aggregate, though company-level results varied markedly.
Methodology note: These figures come from a Bank of America scanner dataset covering retail scanner sales for the specified four-week period. Where the report notes product rollouts or national availability, those developments were cited in the scanner commentary.