Imperial Brands understands society’s concerns about the health risks of smoking, and we also recognise our important role helping reduce the harm caused by combustible tobacco.
Since establishing our first R&D laboratory in the early 1950s, we’ve been at the forefront of tobacco research. In recent years we’ve increasingly focused on tobacco harm reduction through the development of various next generation products (NGP), enhancing our capabilities through focused external partnerships and acquisitions.
We uphold high standards, rigorously testing and analysing our products to continually build our knowledge base and meet our duty of care for consumers.
Today, we’re a true multi-category company – inspired and driven by science and innovation as we seek to make a meaningful contribution to tobacco harm reduction through our portfolio of NGP.
Josie Williams
Head of Operational Science & Strategy
Imperial establishes its first R&D laboratory, paving the way for decades of research into understanding our products.
Imperial partners with the UK Government’s Independent Scientific Committee on Smoking and Health to develop the tobacco substitute – ‘New Smoking Material’.
Imperial acquires 43.5% of the shares in the Swedish snus business Skruf, makers of the ‘original harm reduction’ tobacco product.
Imperial takes full ownership of Skruf.
Imperial creates a subsidiary, Fontem Ventures, to focus on developing innovative vape-based Next Generation Products.
‘Inventor of the e-cigarette’ Mr Hon Lik’s global patent portfolio for vapour technologies is acquired from Dragonite International Limited.
In the UK, Fontem Ventures launches its first e-cigarette brand – Puritane.
Imperial acquires blu, one of the most world’s best-selling vapour brands, strengthening its NGP commitment.
Imperial Tobacco Group becomes Imperial Brands, reflecting the breadth of its contemporary portfolio.
Imperial acquires Nerudia, a UK-based developer of innovative nicotine products. Imperial also begins trialling heated tobacco in Asia and Europe.
The international roll-out of myblu, Imperial’s pod-based vape device, commences alongside the brand’s first range of nicotine salts. We also pioneer new smokeless oral product in Sweden and Norway under the Skruf brand.
Imperial’s heated tobacco brand Pulze launches in Fukuoka, Japan, while zoneX – one of our tobacco-free oral nicotine brands – begins UK trials.
Imperial continues to launch blu, Pulze & iD and Skruf/zoneX in more global markets.
Our next generation HT and vape products, Pulze 2.0 and blu 2.0, arrive. We also launch a disposable vape innovation – blu bar – across a series of markets and acquire the US tobacco-free oral nicotine pouch brand, zone.
We've now established a broad portfolio of vape, heated, and oral NGP that meet consumer needs across a growing range of international markets.
