煙草在線據路透社報道編譯　　11月14日，瑞典火柴公司執行總裁說，由于瑞典火柴公司迫使競爭對手跟著漲價，瑞典濕鼻煙市場的價格戰最終將會緩和。

　　瑞典火柴公司在10月的時候警告說，被稱為鼻煙（snus）的瑞典式濕鼻煙出現的降價競爭，將會沖擊2012年第四季度和2013年第一季度的利潤。

　　但瑞典火柴公司執行總裁拉斯·達爾格倫告訴分析師和投資者說，他預計過些時候，名優鼻煙和低端鼻煙之間的價格差會縮小。而這兩種鼻煙之間價格差的擴大，曾經一度刺激吸煙者從瑞典火柴公司占據最大市場份額的高利潤名優品牌產品轉換到其他產品。

　　達爾格倫在公司的資本市場日上說：“如果我們在很多競爭給予零售商的折扣類型上是正確的，我認為你們今天所看到這樣的價格水平是不會支撐很久的，因為大部分競爭一定會有損失。”

　　在10月發出警告后大幅下跌的瑞典火柴公司股票幾乎沒有什么變化。該公司股票比7月份時的年度高點294.5克朗跌了很多。

　　在公司的兩家小鼻煙工廠所在地——西部海濱城市哥德堡發表講話時，達爾格倫重復了公司發出的警告：第四季度的收益因第三季度的鼻煙市場份額和名優鼻煙銷量雙雙出現下滑而將下降。

　　瑞典火柴公司生產鼻煙和放在唇下吸允用的鼻煙的子公司，在整個集團的利潤中占一半以上，而在銷售額中占據三分之一。

　　瑞典的名優鼻煙——包括將軍牌（General）——占瑞典火柴公司在鼻煙和鼻煙子公司的主要市場——斯堪的納維亞半島的銷售中的大部分。

　　競爭對手包括帝國煙草公司、英美煙草公司和日本煙草公司的瑞典火柴公司還預測，由于低利潤額的便宜鼻煙的銷售增加，而公司在1月份的時候決定，盡管煙稅上提，公司也不提高名優鼻煙的價格，因此，瑞典的鼻煙利潤在2013年初將受到沖擊。

Swedish Match Sees Price War Eventually Easing

　　Swedish Match AB believes a price war in Sweden's wet snuff market should eventually ease as rivals are forced to follow price rises by the tobacco products group, its chief executive said on Wednesday.

　　The group had warned last month that cut-price competition in Swedish-style wet snuff, known as snus, w ould hit profits in the fourth quarter of 2012 and the first part of next year.

　　But Chief Executive Lars Dahlgren told analysts and investors he expected a narrowing later on of the price gap between premium and low-end snus, whose widening had encouraged a switch from high-margin premium brands where Swedish Match has its largest market share.

　　"If we are right about the type of discounts that much of the competition is giving to the retailers, I don't think these price levels you see today are sustainable because much of the competition must be bleeding right now," Dahlgren said at the company's capital markets day.

　　Swedish Match shares, which had dropped sharply after last month's warning, were little changed. The stock is well down on its yearly high of 294.5 crowns set in July.

　　Dahlgren, speaking at the west coast city of Gothenburg where the company's two snus factories are located, repeated the company's warning that fourth-quarter earnings would drop after its snus market share and premium snus volumes fell in the third quarter.

　　Swedish Match's unit making snuff and snus - put under the lip and sucked, mostly in pouches - accounts for more than half of group profit and a third of sales.

　　Premium snus in Sweden - including its General brand - accounts for the bulk of Swedish Match's sales in Scandinavia, the snus and snuff division's main market.

　　Swedish Match, whose rivals include Imperial Tobacco, BAT and Japan Tobacco, also expects its snus profit in Sweden to take a hit at the start of 2013, due to rising sales of lower-margin cheap snus and a decision not to raise prices on its premium snus in January despite a tax hike. Enditem