Marlboro cigarette manufacturers Philip Morris International ( plc ) and Altria are in talks about a $ 200bn re - merger , a decade after Altria spun off the cigarette operation . Analysts have said the deal would give Altria ’s 35%-owned e - cigarette operation Juul a global expansion partner . They also said the re - merger would be on the cards because of cigarette sales falling by 4.5 % globally in 2018 . Altria markets Marlboro for the global market while PMI handles the rest of the market and sells Parliament and Virginia brands , along with e - cigarettes . Talk of the re - merger sent shares of competitor British American Tobacco down by 10 % .
Marlboro cigarette manufacturers Philip Morris International (PMI) and Altria are in talks about a $200bn re-merger, a decade after Altria spun off the PMI operation. Analysts have said the deal would give Altria’s 35%-owned e-cigarette operation Juul a global expansion partner. They also said the re-merger could be on the cards because of cigarette sales falling by 4.5% globally in 2018. Altria makes Marlboro for the US market while PMI handles the rest of the world and sells Parliament and Virginia brands, along with e-cigarettes. Talk of the re-merger sent shares of competitor British American Tobacco down by 3%.