2.5 Industry sales figures as estimates for consumption
Show / hide chapter menu
Data provided by tobacco companies to various market research companies and compiled by the international Euromonitor Research group provide the most recent information available on sales of tobacco products in Australia.
Table 2.20 shows the type of data available from Euromonitor on the estimated total value of retail sales of tobacco products sold in Australia over the six years until 2004–05.32 [26]
Table 2.20
Value of retail sales of tobacco products, Australia 1998–99 to 2004–05, $m
|
Cigarettes |
Cigars |
Smoking tobacco |
Total tobacco products |
|
|
1998–99 |
Data available on subscription to Euromonitor |
|||
|
1999–00 |
||||
|
2000–01 |
||||
|
2001–02 |
||||
|
2002–03 |
||||
|
2003–04 |
||||
|
2004–05 |
||||
Source: Global Market Information Database, Euromonitor International, (produced 2005)33 and updated 200632 using 'official statistics, trade associations, trade press, company research, store checks, trade interview and Euromonitor International estimates'*
The total value of retail sales has increased by about 20% over the last five years. Note however, that the retail price of tobacco products increased significantly between November 1999 and February 2001, and has increased in line with inflation since that time.65
Table 2.21 shows the kind of data available from Euromonitor on the number of cigarettes and cigars and the amount of smoking tobacco sold over the same period.[27]
Table 2.21
Cigarettes and cigars (millions of pieces) and amount of smoking tobacco (tonnes) sold in Australia 1998–99 to 2003–04
|
Cigarettes (million of pieces) |
Cigars (millions of pieces) |
Smoking tobacco (RYO and pipe tobacco) (tonnes) |
|
|
1998–99 |
Data available on subscription to Euromonitor |
||
|
1999–00 |
|||
|
2000–01 |
|||
|
2001–02 |
|||
|
2002–03 |
|||
|
2003–04 |
|||
Source: Global Market Information Database, Euromonitor International, (produced 2005)33 and updated 200632 using 'official statistics, trade associations, trade press, company research, store checks, trade interview and Euromonitor International estimates'
Euromonitor estimates suggest the number of cigarettes sold in Australia fell steeply in the year 2000 following changes to the tax system but has remained reasonably steady since that time.
Table 2.22 shows that most of the smoking tobacco sold over this period was in the form of roll-your-own rather than pipe tobacco.
Table 2.22
Volume of smoking tobacco sold—roll-your-own, pipe and total tobacco products, Australia, 1998–99 to 2003–04, (tonnes)
|
Roll-your-own tobacco |
Pipe tobacco |
Total smoking tobacco (RYO plus pipe) (tonnes) |
|
|
1998–99 |
Data available on subscription to Euromonitor |
||
|
1999–00 |
|||
|
2000–01 |
|||
|
2001–02 |
|||
|
2002–03 |
|||
|
2003–04 |
|||
Source: Global Market Information Database, Euromonitor International, produced 200533
The total amount of smoking tobacco sold rose by about 50%, increasing from about 4.5% to 7.5% of the total value of sales.
Euromonitor estimates of the drop in sales between 1998–99 and 2001–02 are consistent with data presented on the website of British American Tobacco Australia. Based on data from AC Nielsen Off-Take and Batscan database, BAT estimates that the Australian cigarettes market declined by 14.6%, from 28.1 billion sticks in 1998 to about 24 billion sticks since 2001.72
[26] Total sales estimated by Euromonitor are less than those included in the Australian Bureau of Statistics' statistics on private final consumption.
[27] Euromonitor data are revised every year as improved sources emerge. Because data previous to five years earlier are not revised, it is difficult to discern longer term trends.
Copyright © 2012 The Cancer Council. All rights reserved.