Following a successful launch last year, Imperial Brands has reported that its value cigarette brand Paramount is now the UK’s fastest growing in the cigarette category [IMB Report on Trade May 2025].
Introduced in England, Scotland and Wales in October 2024, Paramount has quickly gained market share and has enjoyed heightened success in independent stores [EPOS data: KA (P1&P2) and Indies, May 2025] achieving more than 5 per cent market share [ITUK EPOS data UK independents, Nov 24 – Aug 25], with customers already demonstrating brand loyalty by coming back time and time again to repurchase.
Imperial Brands has last month announced the expansion of the brand into Northern Ireland.
Paramount features premium, full-flavour Virginia sun-ripened tobacco, catering to the UK market where the majority of cigarettes feature Virginia blends.
Imperial Brands said Paramount’s success reflects the growing demand for value options in the UK, with the value sector now representing nearly 37 per cent of the UK cigarette market [ITUK Report on Trade, July 2025].
Available in both full flavour king-size and super king-size formats, Paramount continues to be Imperial Brand’s best value product and has maintained a competitive RRP of £12.50 - making it an attractive choice for adult smokers while still offering a strong margin for retailers.
“While we were not surprised that Paramount has been well received in the UK market based on its success in continental Europe, its performance to date has surpassed expectations. It’s clear there is continued demand for value cigarette products which make no concessions when it comes to quality,” Shirley Soccio, Head of Consumer Marketing UK & Ireland at Imperial Brands, said.
“There are many smokers across the UK and Northern Ireland who are receptive to trying new brands at the right price and quality – and it’s evident that having tried Paramount, many of them have decided that it’s the right brand for them and are staying with it.”
Having previously launched in Europe, Paramount also enjoyed a highly successful launch in Germany, where it established itself as the fastest-growing cigarette product on the market when it hit the shelves in the summer of 2023.