Rothmans and St. Moritz used to be household names on shop counters across Nigeria. They are familiar, mid-to-premium cigarettes that enjoyed wide distribution after international makers (notably British American Tobacco) localised production in the 2000s. But over the last decade their visibility and market clout have dwindled. The reasons are a mix of changing company strategy, pricing and tax shocks, the rise of cheaper and illicit alternatives, and shifting smoker tastes. Below I lay out the history, the forces at work, what sellers and smokers are saying, and the best public numbers we can find (with sources).
Rothmans and St. Moritz arrived in Nigeria about 25 years ago, as well-known international brands. When BAT (and its predecessors) moved from import reliance to local manufacture in the 2000s, a range of international labels, Rothmans included, were produced locally, which initially strengthened their availability and appeal. Over time, though, BAT’s global brand strategy concentrated investment on a narrower set of “strategic” combustible brands and new reduced-risk categories; Rothmans remains a named BAT brand globally but not always the focal growth brand in every market.
Frequent tax increases, rising input costs and broad inflation have pushed retail prices up. Many smokers have traded down to cheaper brands or single-stick purchases sold on the street, an easy way to afford a cigarette without paying for a whole pack. Studies and reporting show that tax changes and price responses in Nigeria have not always worked as intended: in some places cheaper illicit sticks or lower-priced local brands filled the gap left by pricier international labels.
A large and persistent illicit market supplies cheaper single sticks and packs. Estimates suggest billions of illicit sticks are consumed each year in Nigeria, roughly a quarter of consumption in some estimates, which drains legal market share away from established brands produced by major companies. When consumers can buy near-identical but much cheaper illegal sticks, premium or mid-market brands suffer.
Locally popular economy brands and some imported labels (and later, non-combustible products) gained traction. BAT itself has shifted investment toward a narrower set of strategic combustible brands globally and also into “new categories” (modern oral, vaping and heated tobacco), which reallocates marketing budget and distribution emphasis away from second-tier legacy brands. That dynamic makes it harder for older mid-market labels to keep top-of-mind.
Younger smokers and some urban segments prefer slim, flavored or menthol variants, or experiment with new nicotine products. Public health campaigns and regulation have also limited the advertising channels that once helped maintain brand prestige. These combined trends have eroded the traditional customer base for some long-standing labels.
Nigeria produced an estimated ~17.5 billion cigarettes in 2023, showing the size of the market even as brand mixes shift. (Tobacco Atlas) . Independent reporting and market analyses put BAT Nigeria’s market control at roughly 78–82% of the legal market in prior analyses, a dominant position, but one that coexists with a large illicit sector and rising local brands. BAT’s global filings also show the company strategically concentrates combustible volume on a smaller set of top brands (Rothmans is listed among BAT’s combustible portfolio, but overall group volume/value shares have fluctuated). BAT’s own recent results emphasise growth in “new categories” as part of the company strategy. . Illicit trade estimates suggest millions to billions of sticks enter the market informally each year; one NGO analysis estimated ~6.08 billion illicit sticks annually (about 26% of consumption in certain analyses), a huge drain on legal brand sales. This helps explain why some established brands shrink even while overall cigarette production remains large.
Important caveat: brand-level public market-share figures for Rothmans or St. Moritz specifically in Nigeria are not released regularly in the public domain. BAT’s global reports discuss brand groups and strategic focus, and local market writeups and trade data provide proxy evidence of shifts, but exact brand-by-brand consumption numbers (year-on-year) are rarely published openly. Where possible I cite BAT filings and independent market research above.
There are consistent, reported observations across reportage and field studies. Single-stick selling is common: small retailers break packs to sell individual sticks, which keeps demand alive for the cheapest options and undermines full-pack sales of mid-price brands. Sellers have historically pointed to price sensitivity among customers, when a pack becomes unaffordable, customers either buy single sticks or switch to cheaper labels. (See field reporting that documents single-stick sales and seller comments.)
Demand for cheaper alternatives is also noted: merchants and informal sellers frequently report customers asking for the cheapest available sticks rather than brand loyalty. Illicit packs and low-cost imports (or locally re-packaged products) are often favoured where enforcement is weak. Research into the illicit trade shows vendors and some distributors move large volumes of lower-priced, untaxed product.
Direct, contemporary quotes from named “mallams” are available in some long-form reportage, for example older Time reporting captured shopkeeper quotes saying St. Moritz was popular, but recent, attributable individual seller quotes specific to Rothmans/St. Moritz are sparse in open public reporting. The broader pattern sellers report, price sensitivity and preference for single sticks, is well established.
Many consumers cite price as main reason for switching. When packs get expensive, consumers either move to illicit sticks or to cheaper domestic/import alternatives. Surveys and market writeups also show some smokers prefer menthol or “slim” formats, or are experimenting with non-combustible products. . Brand prestige has less pull among younger smokers. Where youth are price-sensitive and influenced by flavors or peer trends, legacy mid-market brands have a harder time holding share. Online polls and consumer discussions have shown varying brand preference, a Twitter poll cited in reporting once put Benson & Hedges ahead, with Rothmans trailing, a signal that market leadership is contested.
Lower-priced local and imported alternatives (both legal economy labels and cheaper illicit imports) expanded when higher-priced imported/established brands became less affordable. Smuggling and repackaging flooded local markets with cheaper product sold per stick. That informal supply chain undercuts premium brands’ distribution. Marketing and product innovation: makers of economy labels and some international competitors introduced packaging, slim/menthol variants and price tiers that matched pocket budgets better than some traditional labels. Meanwhile BAT and other major multinationals allocated resources toward their priority brands and new products, shifting competitive dynamics on the ground.
Among the new brands that sprang up in Nigeria and affected Rothmans and St. Moritz are Pall Mall, London Kings, Aspen, and a wave of locally distributed cheaper sticks that gained dominance in street sales. Consumers also turned to economy options such as Business Royal, Royal Standard and a few other rebranded imports that appealed more on price than heritage. In contrast, Benson & Hedges, which was part of the old guard along with Rothmans and St. Moritz, managed to survive and remain visible in the Nigerian market largely because it rebranded and refreshed its image earlier than these two, allowing it to maintain loyalty and adjust to consumer preferences while the others faded.
The bottom line of why Rothmans and St. Moritz faded is that affordability plays a key role as shoppers trade down when price rises and single-stick economics favour cheaper labels. . Illicit competition provides a large illicit market supplying cheap alternatives that erode legal brand shares. Company strategy shows BAT’s global and local focus shifting to a narrower set of strategic brands and new nicotine categories, which can reduce marketing support for other legacy labels. . Changing tastes and product innovation mean flavors, slims, and modern nicotine products lure customers away from older mass brands.
Key sources used above include BAT group publications and combined annual reports, Tobacco Atlas production data, investigations and analyses on illicit trade in Nigeria, and long-form reporting that recorded seller perspectives. See BAT combined annual/20-F documents and product portfolio notes, Tobacco Atlas Nigeria factsheet (production context), analyses and reports on illicit tobacco trade in Nigeria (estimates of illicit sticks and impact on legal market), and field reporting that captured sellers’ comments and the long history of brands like St. Moritz and Rothmans in Nigeria.
By Benprince Ezeh
(08068599879)
