Cigarette retailers in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia have recently raised their prices, reported Arab News. Marlboro’s distributor in the Kingdom, the Al-Babtain Group, now charges 50 halalas more per packet, in response to the Phillip Morris tobacco company’s recent price increase. Marlboro Red and Marlboro White will now cost 5.50 Saudi Riyals per package of 20.
The King Faisal Specialist Hospital has recently decided to file an 11 billion Saudi riyal ($2.9 billion) suit in Swiss and US courts for having to treat smoking-related illnesses over the last 25 years, reported the Financial Times. Philip Morris, British American Tobacco and Imperial are among the 10 international tobacco companies being taken to court. Legal sources suspect that the price hike could be related to the litigation even though the tobacco companies rejected the idea. — (menareport.com)
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
