Benson & Hedges

Benson & Hedges

UK Benson & Hedges Silver box, with warning
Product type	Cigarette
Produced by	Philip Morris International British American Tobacco Gallaher Group Japan Tobacco
Introduced	1873

Benson & Hedges is an English brand of cigarettes owned by either Philip Morris International, British American Tobacco and Japan Tobacco depending on region. In the UK they are registered in Old Bond Street in London, and are manufactured in Lisnafillan, Ballymena, Northern Ireland.

They are predominantly made from Virginia tobacco.

In some countries where Philip Morris does not hold the Benson & Hedges trademark, such as the Philippines, a variant of the North American Benson & Hedges cigarette brand is sold under the "Philip Morris" brand using similar packaging.

History

Benson & Hedges was founded in Canada in 1873 by Richard Benson and William Hedges as Benson and Hedges Ltd. Alfred Paget Hedges succeeded his father in the business in 1885, the same year which Richard Benson left the business and the headquarters moved to England. The 1900s saw branches of Benson & Hedges Ltd. opening in the United States. In 1928, the American branch became independent, and was bought by Philip Morris in 1958. Benson & Hedges Ltd in the UK was acquired by the Gallaher Group in 1955.

A Royal Warrant was issued to the British company in 1878, after the required five years of supply to the Royal Family. This was revoked in 1999 due to a "lack of demand in the royal households". The Warrant seal, which had previously been on the flip lid of the box, was removed.

Markets

The cigarettes are available in Gold or Silver forms, and in some countries also as Red, Green (Menthol), Blue, White and Black. Japan Tobacco also manufactures Hamlet cigars.

UK market

Surreal Benson & Hedges poster at Victoria Station, London, c.1978

In the late 1970s, the company's products were advertised in a series of posters and cinema films which featured the gold pack in various surreal juxtapositions and transformations, devoid of words and people. In 2001, brand packaging was changed from Special Filter to Gold, and a Silver version was introduced, with reduced tar content and 0.1 mg less nicotine, at a slightly cheaper price. In 2008, a 14 cigarette pack was launched, alongside existing 10 and 20 packs. In July 2009, a Gold and Silver versions of rolling tobacco were launched. As of June 2011, the company's UK brands were Gold, Silver, White and Gold Superkings, and rolling tobacco. Discontinued former brands in the UK have included: Sovereign, Gold Bond, Virginia Red, Virginia Blue, and Black.

In October 2012, a "Dual" (dual-flavour) cigarette was introduced, with a user-poppable menthol capsule inside the filter. If the capsule is burst, the cigarette flavour is altered from plain to menthylated tobacco.

Overseas markets

In the 1930s, Benson & Hedges (Overseas) Ltd was established by Abraham Wix to handle international trade. This branch was acquired by British American Tobacco in 1956. Today, British American Tobacco markets Benson & Hedges throughout Asia and the Pacific, including Australia and New Zealand, but with the exception of Taiwan and the Philippines. The Canadian branch of Benson and Hedges is owned by Philip Morris International. In Canada, a popular brand is "Belmonts", manufactured by B&H in Quebec City.

In the United States, available varieties include Kings (box), Menthol (box), Multifilter Kings (soft pack), DeLuxe (box), DeLuxe Menthol (box), Luxury, and Luxury Menthol (soft pack or box).

In Australia, the company's cigarettes are available as Classic, Rich, Smooth, Subtle, Fine and Ultimate, in the standard Australian plain packaging.

Sponsorships

Australia

Throughout the 1980s the company was a major sponsor of international cricket, with naming rights for most of the one-day international tournaments including the World Series Cup and the World Championship of Cricket. Benson & Hedges also sponsored Tony Longhurst's team in the 1980s and early 1990s in Australian Touring Car racing. All sponsorships ceased when 1992 federal government legislation banned tobacco advertising at sporting events.

Canada

The company sponsored fireworks competitions in Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia, until tobacco advertising laws passed by the Government of Canada came into force in 2000.

Malaysia

Benson & Hedges sponsored the movie B&H Golden Dreams (next B&H Gold & Dreams) and B&H Golden Dreams Extreme on TV3 in the 1990s.

Global

From 1996 to 2005, the company was the primary sponsor of the Jordan Grand Prix team. When racing in countries with bans on tobacco advertising, the livery and apparel were substituted with "Bitten Hisses" (during the period when Jordan's mascot was Hissing Sid), "Buzzing Hornets" (while the mascot was an unnamed hornet), "Bitten Heroes" (while the mascot was an unnamed shark), or "Be On Edge" (BEnsON & hEDGEs when read aloud, sounding similar to "B and H".

The 2001 B&H F1 car.

In popular culture

Oasis members Noel and Liam Gallagher smoked Benson and Hedges during the 1990s, with Noel naming his two cats "Benson" and "Hedges". Oasis released a collection of their singles up until their second album (What's the Story) Morning Glory?. The singles were sold in a special box shaped and coloured like Benson & Hedges cigarette packets.

British indie band Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine referenced the brand in the song "England", from their 1992 album 1992 – The Love Album, with the lyrics: "I've been GBH'd and ABH'd for a packet of B&H."

In the film Mike Bassett: England Manager, Bassett (played by Ricky Tomlinson) writes down his squad for a match against Belgium on a packet of Benson and Hedges; his PA unwittingly includes two players with the surnames Benson and Hedges to the squad.

A major character in David Foster Wallace's novel Infinite Jest, Avril Incandeza, smokes Benson and Hedges.

Twins in New Zealand were named "Benson" and "Hedges" after the brand and were cited by a New Zealand judge amongst a list of inappropriate children's names, alongside names like "Fish and Chips", and "Black child" or "Nigger".

"Benson Hedges" is the second track on the album Aim and Ignite from the New York power pop band Fun.

Benson Hedges is the name of the wedding planner played by Peter Dinklage in the Michael Showalter film The Baxter.

The brand was President Sukarno of Indonesia's choice of cigarette.

Kurt Cobain of Nirvana smoked Benson & Hedges Ultra Light Menthols as well as Winston Lights 100s.

Ian Curtis of the influential post-punk band Joy Division was an avid smoker of Benson & Hedges, and there are many photographs of him smoking his favourite brand.

Canadian class-action lawsuit

The three largest Canadian tobacco companies, Imperial Tobacco Canada, JTI-Macdonald Corp and Rothmans Benson & Hedges, are the subject of the largest class-action lawsuit in Canadian history, brought by current and former smokers. The case started on March 12, 2012 in Quebec Superior Court, and the companies face a potential payout of C$27 billion (US $27.30 billion) in damages and penalties. In addition, a number of Canadian provinces are teaming up to sue tobacco companies to recover healthcare costs caused by smoking.

References

• British American Tobacco's FAQ on the history of Benson & Hedges

External links

• B&H official site
• Philip Morris International
• British American Tobacco