USA Gold

USA Gold is an American brand of discount cigarettes currently owned and manufactured by ITG Brands, a subsidiary of Imperial Tobacco. USA Gold brands were founded by Commonwealth Brands in 1991.[1] Until previous year, Imperial had steered clear of the U.S. market for fear of being embroiled in litigation brought against tobacco companies. With a number of rulings going in favor of U.S. tobacco companies in that past year, that litigation risk appears to have faded.

For the unrelated cigarette brand, see USA (brand).
USA Gold
OwnerITG Brands, a subsidiary of Imperial Tobacco
CountryUnited States
Introduced1991 (1991)
Previous ownersCommonwealth Brands
Houchens Industries
Websitewww.itgbrands.com/brands/
Carcinogenicity: IARC group 1

History

In 1991, Brad M. Kelley started Commonwealth Brands in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The goal was to undercut major cigarette companies by "producing discount 'branded generic' cigarettes". Kelley then sold Commonwealth Brands to Houchens Industries in 2001 for $1 billion, which at the time was the fifth-largest cigarette maker in the United States with a turnover of $800 million. USA Gold was the eighth best selling cigarette brand in the United States at the time.[1][2]

In 2003, bargain brand cigarettes were selling cigarettes under names like "USA Gold and Roger". Deep-discount brands accounted for "10% of the U.S. market, up from 2% in 1997".[3]

In 2007, British company Imperial Tobacco entered the United States discount cigarette market after purchasing the Commonwealth Brands for $1.9 billion.[4] Through brands such as USA Gold and Sonoma, Commonwealth Brands controlled 3.7% of the U.S. cigarette market.[5]

Products

Varieties sold in the United States

As of 2017, all varieties of USA Gold sold by ITG Brands are only available in a box.

  • USA Gold Red (Full Flavor) KS-20-H - USA
  • USA Gold (Lights) KS-20-H - USA
  • USA Gold (Menthol Lights) KS-20-S - USA
  • USA Gold (Non-Filter) KS-20-S - USA
  • USA Gold (Ultra Lights) KS-20-S - USA

See also

References
  1. Keates, Nancy (2012-10-25). "The Man With a Million Acres". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2018-03-27. Retrieved 2018-12-02.
  2. Sellers, Patricia; Boorstin, Julia; Tkaczyk, Christopher (2003-04-28). "Altria's Perfect Storm Hit by cut-rate competitors, taxes, and most of all, litigation, the company that owns Philip Morris faces its worst crisis in years". Fortune. Archived from the original on 2018-12-03. Retrieved 2018-12-02.
  3. Brock, James W. (2015). The Structure of American Industry: Thirteenth Edition (13 ed.). Long Grove, Illinois: Waveland Press. p. 115. ISBN 978-1-4786-2732-6. Retrieved 2018-12-02.
  4. Range, Jackie (2007-02-09). "Imperial Tobacco to Buy U.S. Company". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2018-12-02. Retrieved 2018-12-02.
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