Benson & Hedges is a British brand of

cigarettes A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhaled via the oppo ...

owned by American conglomerate

Altria Altria Group, Inc. (previously known as Philip Morris Companies, Inc. until 2003) is an American corporation and one of the world's largest producers and marketers of tobacco, cigarettes, and medical products in the treatment of illnesses ca ...

. Cigarettes under the ''Benson & Hedges'' name are manufactured worldwide by different companies such as

Rothmans, Benson & Hedges 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 ...

Philip Morris USA Philip Morris USA is an American tobacco company. They are a division of the American tobacco corporation Altria Group. It has been the leading cigarette manufacturer in the U.S. since the late 20th century. Its major brands include Marlboro, Vi ...

British American Tobacco British American Tobacco p.l.c. (BAT) is a British multinational company that manufactures and sells cigarettes, tobacco and other nicotine products including electronic cigarettes. The company, established in 1902, is headquartered in London, E ...

, or

Japan Tobacco The (JT) is a Japanese diversified tobacco company and parent company to Japan Tobacco International, one of the three largest international Big Tobacco product manufacturers in the world. It was established in 1985 as a that inherited the ri ...

, depending on the region. In the UK, they are registered in

Old Bond Street Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, M ...

in London, and were manufactured in Lisnafillan,

Ballymena Ballymena ( ; from , meaning 'the middle townland') is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 31,205 people at the 2021 United Kingdom census, making it the List of localities in Northern Ireland by population, seven ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

, before production was moved to Eastern Europe in 2017. They are predominantly made from Virginia tobacco.

History

Benson & Hedges was founded in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1873 by Richard Benson and William Hedges as Benson and Hedges Ltd.

Alfred Paget Hedges Alfred Paget Hedges (30 December 1867 – 17 April 1929), was a British Liberal Party politician and cigarette manufacturer. Background He was the second son of William Hedges of Ealing, the co-founder of Benson & Hedges Ltd. He was educated at ...

succeeded his father in the business in 1885, the same year which Richard Benson left the business. The 1900s saw branches of Benson & Hedges Ltd. opening in the United States and Canada. 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 Gallaher Group, referred as Gallaher's Tobacco, or simply Gallaher's, was a United Kingdom-based multinational tobacco company which traded on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index, prior to its acquisition by A ...

in 1955. A Royal Warrant was issued to the British company in 1878, after the required five years of supply to the Royal Family. It 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.

Spin-offs

In July 1968, Philip Morris released

Virginia Slims Virginia Slims is an American brand of cigarettes owned by Altria. It is manufactured by Philip Morris USA (in the United States) and Philip Morris International (outside the United States). Virginia Slims are narrower ( circumference) than stan ...

which were a spin-off of Benson & Hedges intended to be sold to women. They were sold during a period of time where society was beginning to realize the dangers of smoking. Therefore, they were a thinner and more "elegant" alternative to regular cigarettes.

Sponsorships

Formula 1

From to , the company was the primary sponsor of the

Jordan Grand Prix Jordan Grand Prix was a Formula One constructor that competed from 1991 to 2005. The team was named after Irish businessman and founder Eddie Jordan and was based at Silverstone, England, but raced with an Irish licence. In early 2005, the team ...

team. When racing in countries with bans on tobacco advertising (such as the United Kingdom, France and later Germany, Belgium, Canada, United States, Italy, Turkey), the team used alternative liveries such as ''"Bitten & Hisses"'', ''"Buzzin' Hornets"'', ''"Bitten Heroes"'' and ''"Be on Edge"'' to bypass the bans on cigarette advertising while still promoting their product.

Australian Touring Car Championship

Benson & Hedges sponsored

Tony Longhurst Anthony Lawrence Longhurst (born 1 October 1957 in Sydney) is an Australian racing driver and former Australian Champion water skier. He is most noted for his career in the Australian Touring Car Championship and V8 Supercar series. Longhurst is ...

's team in the 1980s and early 1990s in Australian Touring Car racing. All sponsorships ceased when 1996 federal government legislation banned

tobacco advertising Nicotine marketing is the marketing of nicotine-containing products or use. Traditionally, the tobacco industry markets cigarette smoking, but it is increasingly marketing other products, such as electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco pr ...

at sporting events.

Ice skating

Benson & Hedges sponsored a touring

ice show An ice show is an entertainment production which is primarily performed by ice skaters. The major ice shows were founded between 1936 and 1943, when professional figure skaters began to appear in shows, in hotels, at fairs, and "at any place a ...

, "Benson & Hedges on Ice", in the late 1980s.

Cricket

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s the company was a major sponsor of international

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

, with

naming rights Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization where a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event (most often sports venues), typical ...

for

Test Cricket Test cricket is a Forms of cricket, format of the sport of cricket, considered the game’s most prestigious and traditional form. Often referred to as the "ultimate test" of a cricketer's skill, endurance, and temperament, it is a format of i ...

with the home

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

tests and most of the

one-day international One Day International (ODI) is a format of cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of fifty overs, with the game lasting up to 7 hours. The World Cup, generally held every four yea ...

tournaments held in Australia including the

World Series Cup The Australian Tri-Series was an annual one day international (ODI) cricket tournament held in Australia, and contested by Australia and two touring teams. The series was the primary format for international one-day cricket throughout most of ...

, the

World Championship of Cricket The Benson & Hedges World Championship of Cricket was part of the celebrations commemorating the 150th anniversary of European settlement in the Australian state of Victoria. It was a One Day International (ODI) tournament held in Australia f ...

held in 1985 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Victoria and the

1992 Cricket World Cup The 1992 Cricket World Cup (known as the Benson & Hedges World Cup 1992 for sponsorship reasons) was the fifth Cricket World Cup, the premier One Day International cricket tournament for men's national teams, organised by the International Cric ...

held by Australia and New Zealand and the English County one day cup competition the

Benson & Hedges Cup The Benson & Hedges Cup was a one-day cricket competition for first-class counties in England and Wales that was held from 1972 to 2002, one of cricket's longest sponsorship deals. It was the third major one-day competition established in Engla ...

. The Australian sponsorship ended in 1996 due to the Federal Governments ban on tobacco advertising while the sponsorship in England carried on until 2002 when the UK Government banned tobacco sponsorship which led to the English competition to be replaced by the T20 Cup now known as the

T20 Blast The T20 Blast, officially known as the Vitality Blast for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in England and Wales. The competition was established by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003. T20 Blast is t ...

Other

Benson & Hedges was a big sponsor of the iD Dunedin Fashion Week in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

from the 1940s until 1995, around the time tobacco sponsorship was banned completely. The

Smoke-free Environments Act 1990 The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act 1990 (originally the Smoke-free Environments Act 1990) is an Act of Parliament in New Zealand. The Act placed smoking restrictions on indoor spaces, banned smoking on public transport and es ...

was already in force in 1990 which restricted smoking in offices, the public parts of workplaces, and in public and eating places and transport; banned advertising of tobacco products, tobacco sponsorship, and tobacco advertising on other goods, and established a health sponsorship council. Before that however, Benson & Hedges sponsored the fashion week by awarding their tickets in gold cigarette box-inspired packaging and by allowing the women to pick various novelty items and cigarette accessories. Benson & Hedges sponsored the ''Symphony of Fire'' fireworks competitions in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

and

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, until tobacco advertising laws passed by the

Government of Canada The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federation, federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes Minister of t ...

came into force in 2000. Also, on 29 November 2000, Benson & Hedges pulled their sponsorship of the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

as a response to the new federal legislation that would come into effect in October 2003 that eliminated tobacco companies' ability to sponsor events and the arts. Benson & Hedges sponsored the movie ''B&H Golden Dreams'' (next ''B&H Gold & Dreams'') and ''B&H Golden Dreams Extreme'' on

TV3 Channel 3 or TV 3 may refer to: Television *Canal 3 (Burkina Faso), a commercial television channel in Burkina Faso * Canal 3 Niger, a commercial television channel in Niger * Canal 3 (Guatemala), a commercial television channel in Guatemala * Can ...

in the 1990s.

Controversy

Canadian class-action lawsuit

The three largest Canadian tobacco companies,

Imperial Tobacco Canada Imperial Tobacco Canada Limited is a cigarette manufacturing company operating in Canada. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of British American Tobacco. It was created in 1908 and bought out the Canadian interests of the American Tobacco Company, ...

, JTI-Macdonald Corp, and Rothmans Benson & Hedges, were the subject of the largest class-action lawsuit in Canadian history, brought by current and former smokers. The case started on 12 March 2012 in

Quebec Superior Court The Superior Court of Quebec () is a superior trial court in the Province of Quebec, in Canada. It consists of 157 judges who are appointed by the federal government. Appeals from this court are taken to the Quebec Court of Appeal. Jurisdictio ...

, and the companies faced a potential payout of C$27 billion (US$27.30 billion) in damages and penalties.

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

, U
C$27 billion suit vs Big Tobacco starts in Montreal
13 March 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2013 In addition, a number of Canadian provinces are teaming up to sue tobacco companies to recover healthcare costs caused by smoking. On 1 June 2015, Quebec Superior Court Justice Brian Riordan had awarded more than $15 billion to Quebec smokers in a landmark case that pitted them against three Canadian cigarette giants, including JTI-Macdonald Corp.

Markets

The cigarettes are available in Gold or Silver forms, and in some countries also as Red, Green (

Menthol Menthol is an organic compound, specifically a Monoterpene, monoterpenoid, that occurs naturally in the oils of several plants in the Mentha, mint family, such as Mentha arvensis, corn mint and peppermint. It is a white or clear waxy crystallin ...

), Blue, White and Black.

also manufactures Hamlet cigars. In the United States, the brand is owned by Philip Morris USA and available varieties include Kings (box), Menthol (box), Multifilter Kings (soft pack), DeLuxe (box), DeLuxe Menthol (box), Luxury, and Luxury Menthol (soft pack or box). Beginning in 1967, US television ads for the Benson and Hedges brand featured a musical theme (written by

Mitch Leigh Mitch Leigh (born Irwin Stanley Michnick; January 30, 1928March 16, 2014) was an American musical theatre composer and theatrical producer best known for the musical '' Man of La Mancha''. Early years Leigh was born Irwin Stanley Michnick in B ...

) called "The Disadvantages Of You;" of which an adapted version charted briefly for a group called

The Brass Ring The Brass Ring was a group of American studio musicians led by saxophonist and arranger Phil Bodner. The band was based in New York City and was stylistically similar to The Tijuana Brass, The Brass Buttons, the Baja Marimba Band, and other "N ...

. The commercials humorously depicted various "disadvantages" encountered by smokers struggling to adapt to the unusual length of Benson and Hedges 100s, which were "longer than king-size, at the same price as king-size". These commercials ran until cigarette advertising was banned on US television in 1971. The related print advertising campaign ran for several years afterward. The brand was or still is sold in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

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Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

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Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain#Autonomous cities, autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta is one of th ...

and

Melilla Melilla (, ; ) is an autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was part of the Province of Málaga un ...

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Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

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UK market

In the 1980s, 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 was changed from Special Filter to Gold, and a Silver version was introduced, with reduced tar content and 0.1 mg less

nicotine Nicotine is a natural product, naturally produced alkaloid in the nightshade family of plants (most predominantly in tobacco and ''Duboisia hopwoodii'') and is widely used recreational drug use, recreationally as a stimulant and anxiolytic. As ...

, 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. , 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 new cigarette called Benson and Hedges Dual was introduced. If the smoker prefers a menthol cigarette, they press the capsule inside the filter and the cigarette goes from regular to a menthol tasting cigarette. In 2020, however, this cigarette was taken off the market due to the EU menthol cigarette ban.

Overseas markets

In the 1930s, Benson & Hedges (Overseas) Ltd was established by Abraham Wix to handle international trade. This branch was acquired by

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 Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

and the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. The Canadian branch of Benson and Hedges is owned by Philip Morris International. In Australia, the company's cigarettes are available as Classic 25s, Rich 25s, Smooth 20s, 25s, Subtle 25s, Fine 25s and Ultimate 25s, in the standard Australian

plain packaging Plain tobacco packaging, also known as generic, neutral, standardised or homogeneous packaging, is packaging of tobacco products, typically cigarettes, without any branding (colours, imagery, corporate logos and trademarks), including only the br ...

Products

United States

Products available in the US from 2020.

Regular

* Benson & Hedges Premium (Full Flavor) 100s * Benson & Hedges Luxury (Lights) 100s * Benson & Hedges DeLuxe (Ultra Lights) 100s

Menthol

* Benson & Hedges Premium (Menthol Full Flavor) 100s * Benson & Hedges Luxury (Menthol Lights) 100s * Benson & Hedges DeLuxe (Menthol Ultra Lights) 100s

United Kingdom

Products available in the UK from May 2020: * Benson & Hedges Gold (King Size and Superkings) * Benson & Hedges Silver (King Size only) * Benson & Hedges New Dual (originally Dual Capsule) (King Size only) * Benson & Hedges Blue (King Size and Superkings) * Benson & Hedges Sky Blue (King Size and Superkings) * Benson & Hedges New Blue Dual (originally Blue Dual Capsule and Double Capsule)(King Size only) * Benson & Hedges New Green (Superkings only) * Benson & Hedges Silver Hand Rolling Tobacco (30g pouches only) * Benson & Hedges Blue Hand Rolling Tobacco (30g and 50g pouches )

Canada

* Benson & Hedges Prime (Red) King Size 25 * Benson & Hedges Reserve (Black) King Size 25 * Benson & Hedges Deluxe (Gold) King Size 25

Australia

* Benson & Hedges Smooth Dark Blue 20 * Benson & Hedges Classic Red 20 * Benson & Hedges Smooth Dark Blue 25 * Benson & Hedges Classic Red 25 * Benson & Hedges Fine Silver 25 * Benson & Hedges Smooth Dark Blue 30

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Benson and Hedges 1873 introductions 1873 establishments in the United Kingdom British American Tobacco brands British brands British royal warrant holders Philip Morris brands