UK
Imperial Tobacco Group PLC recently confirmed it had changed its name to Imperial Brands PLC ditching its main product from the company’s title after more than a century upon receiving shareholder approval at its annual general meeting.
Imperial, the maker of Davidoff and Lambert & Butler cigarettes, announced plans to change its name in December 2015, saying in a statement that the new name “better reflects the dynamic, brand-focused business that we are now.”
“Re-branding a parent company name signals a clear shift,” said Rebecca Robins, a director at brand consultancy Interbrand, as quoted by Bloomberg. The name is “sufficiently future-proof for any acquisitions to come,” she added.
Imperial said it would retain its five corporate brands, which include Imperial Tobacco and the US unit ITG Brands. Changes will be largely confined to the Bristol, England head office and corporate website, it said. The company’s tobacco brands will continue to be divided into mass-market “growth” products and more niche “specialist” brands.
The company also said that its new web address, www.imperialbrandsplc.com, will go live from next Monday.