Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. (RBH) is a Canadian manufacturer and distributor of tobacco products. It was formed by the merger of the Canadian units of Rothmans International and the Benson & Hedges brand – owned by Philip Morris International.
History
Rock City tobacco company of Quebec was founded in 1899 by Olivier-Napoléon Drouin and his brothers as well as a friend, Joseph Picard. The factory experienced prosperity from the 1910s, to the point of becoming one of the largest manufacturers of tobacco products in Canada, as well as having assets in Ontario and elsewhere in Quebec. The factory employed around 500 people, mostly women, and had about twenty sales representatives throughout Canada. Eventually, Rock City struggled and British Carreras Tobacco Company purchased it in 1936. Carreras in turn was bought out by Rothmans International in 1963.
When British American Tobacco bought Rothmans in 1999, it spun off its 60% share of Rothmans, Benson & Hedges as a separate public company. In 2008, the remaining 60% of RBH was acquired by Philip Morris International (PMI), which had controlled 40% of the firm, for US$ 2,000 million, making PMI the sole owner of the company.