Philip Morris & Co. Ltd.

Philip Morris & Co. Ltd. (Cigarette manufacturer, incorporated in U.S. in 1902): Philip Morris & Co. Ltd.., was incorporated in New York in April of 1902; half the shares were held by the parent company in London, and the balance by its U.S. distributor and his American associate. Its overall sales in 1903, its first full year of U.S. operation, were a modest seven million cigarettes. Among the brand offered, besides Philip Morris, were Blues, Cambridge, Derby, and a ladies favorite name for the London street where the home companies factory was located - Marlborough.

= Description =

The upturn in cigarette sales in the United States in the first decade of the new century (the 1900s) prompted the Thomson family (see TTLA Almanac - Names, Philip Morris, Ltd.) to open a small American branch. Imports accounted for only four percent of the U.S. market, and tariff levels assured that only luxury-priced brands were worth shipping in. The more sensible way to penetrate the American market was to manufacture finished goods there, so Philip Morris & Co. Ltd.., was incorporated in New York in April of 1902; half the shares were held by the parent company in London, and the balance by its U.S. distributor and his American associate. Its overall sales in 1903, its first full year of U.S. operation, were a modest seven million cigarettes. Among the brand offered, besides Philip Morris, were Blues, Cambridge, Derby, and a ladies favorite name for the London street where the home companies factory was located - Marlborough. (Ashes to Ashes, pg. 49-51)

resource_id=6931 resource_code=pm_co search_term=Philip Morris & Co. Ltd.