POLAND: BAT acquires leading e-cigarette business | Progresiv

British American Tobacco (BAT) has signed a conditional agreement to acquire 100% of the CHIC Group, a market leading e-cigarette business in Poland. The CHIC Group has 800 points of sale in Poland, a dedicated e-liquids production facility, a research and development centre and leading Polish e-cigarette brands including VOLISH, P1, Provog, Cottien, LiQueen and Aromativ. 

Commenting on the deal, Kingsley Wheaton, Managing Director of Next Generation Products (NGP) at BAT, said: “Acquiring the CHIC Group is strategically significant and makes commercial sense. It provides BAT with scale and market reach through Europe’s largest eCigarette retailing network, as well as important manufacturing and R&D capabilities. It further demonstrates our commitment to the NGP category." 
The company did not reveal how much it was paying for CHIC but said the acquisition was subject to approval from local competition authorities.

BAT also announced that it has signed a vapour products technology-sharing term agreement with R.J. Reynolds. The company said the move will provide a framework for collaboration and mutual cross-licensing of the parties’ vapour product technologies up to 31 December 2022. The collaboration also includes joint R&D activities and cooperation on regulatory, scientific and manufacturing issues relating to vapour products. (www.kamcity.com)