Godfrey Phillips India Ltd. (GPI) is a

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

manufacturer headquartered in India. It is now a part of

Modi Enterprises Modi Industries Limited is an Indian business conglomerate based in New Delhi, India. The US $2.8 billion group, consisting of Godfrey Phillips India, Indofil Industries Ltd., Modicare Limited, has a diversified business portfolio including ...

. The company is a major player in the domestic cigarette industry. In 2013-2014 it reported an annual turnover of . It has expanded from tobacco to include tea, pan masala, and confectioner. Its operations are primarily located in the northern and western parts of India, but it has recently expanded into West Bengal and the southern part of the country. It sells some of the most popular cigarette brands, such as Four Square, Red and White, Cavanders, Tipper, and North Pole. The firm was originally established in London in 1844. GPI was one of the first

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

companies to mass-produce

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

s. GPI manufactures and sells

s, smoking tobacco and cigars,Godfrey Phillips India History
on Economic Times.com apart from having a non-tobacco line of products released in 2009 that include

confectionery Confectionery is the Art (skill), art of making confections, or sweet foods. Confections are items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates, although exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confections are divided into two bro ...

. GPI is the flagship company of

. The company had an annual turnover of approximately as of March 2021. The company also has business interests in pan masala, chewing and confectionery products. The company also manufactures and distributes

Marlboro Marlboro (, ) is an American brand of cigarettes owned and manufactured by Philip Morris USA (a branch of Altria) within the United States and by Philip Morris International (PMI, now separate from Altria) in most global territories outside the ...

in India under a licence agreement with

Philip Morris International Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) is a multinational tobacco company, with products sold in over 180 countries. Marlboro is PMI’s most recognized brand, but in the last quarter of 2023, Iqos generated the greatest revenue. Philip Mor ...

History

The house of Godfrey Phillips was established in 1844 at Bevis Marks in Aldgate, London, by cigar manufacturer Godfrey Phillips, who was the eldest son of Henry Phillips, born in the country fields outside London in October 1826.‘G.P.‘ Enters Its Hundredth Year, By Arthur I. Phillips, Chairman and Managing Director, published in the journal "Tobacco" in 1940 When his sons were old enough and working in the business, the firm's name was changed to Godfrey Phillips & Sons, Ltd. On 21 August 1900 Godfrey Phillips died and in 1908 the partnership was sold, and Godfrey Phillips, Limited, was formed. The first directors were the partners- Joseph Phillips, chairman, Philip Phillips, David Phillips, Spencer Phillips and Arthur Phillips. Later, the business was listed on the London Stock Exchange as Godfrey Phillips Plc. In 1936, Godfrey Phillips (India), Limited, was created; the building of native-style architecture was devoted to the manufacture of the group's brands Cavander's, De Reszke and Greys. In 1967, Godfrey Phillips Ltd. of London made an arrangement with International Tobacco Co. who opened a factory in Northern India to manufacture on the company's behalf. Upon the merger of D. Macropolo & Co. Ltd., with the company, International Tobacco Co. Ltd. became a subsidiary of it. In 1968, Philip Morris Inc. made a takeover bid for Godfrey Phillips Plc and the family shareholders were unable to prevent the company being sold. Godfrey Phillips India has manufacturing facilities at Rabale in

Navi Mumbai Navi Mumbai (; also known as New Bombay, its official name until 1995) is a large city next to Mumbai, located in the Konkan division of the western Indian state of Maharashtra, on the mainland of India. Navi Mumbai is situated in Thane distr ...

, and two units in

Ghaziabad Ghaziabad () is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and a part of Delhi NCR. It is the administrative headquarters of Ghaziabad district and is the largest city in Western Uttar Pradesh, with a population of 1,729,000. Ghaziaba ...

(near

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

). They also have an R&D centre in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

and a food R&D in Ghaziabad, and a tobacco-buying unit in

Guntur Guntur (), natively spelt as Gunturu, is a city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of Guntur district. The city is part of the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region and is lo ...

(

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

). Godfrey Phillips India has an International Business Division, for international export of its own cigarette brands, cut & blended tobacco, tobacco leaf and providing technical services and contract manufacturing. In 2011, Modi Enterprises acquire majority control in Godfrey Philips from Philip Morris, Philip Morris' stake down to 21%.

Brands and products

GPI manufactures a variety of products related to tobacco through its subsidiary brands. Godfrey Phillips India also manufactures and distributes cigarette brand

under a licence agreement with Philip Morris International Inc. Likewise, the company also has a non-tobacco range of products. ;Notes

Trading cards

Godfrey Phillips Ltd. also produced a variety of

cigarette card Cigarette cards are trading cards issued by tobacco industry, tobacco manufacturers to stiffen cigarette packaging and nicotine marketing, advertise cigarette brands. Between 1875 and the 1940s, cigarette companies often included collectible car ...

s to advertise their products, with several topics such as film actresses, animals, aircraft, famous people from history, among others. The first cards set was launched in 1904 and featured anonymous

pin-up A pin-up model is a model (person), model whose mass-produced pictures and photographs have wide appeal within the popular culture of a society. Pin-up models are usually glamour photography, glamour, actresses, or fashion models whose pictures ...

girls.Godfrey Phillips, Ltd.
on Dumbarton Oaks website In the 1920s, the company took advantage of the rise popularity of

association football trading card An association football card is a type of trading card relating to association football, usually printed on cardboard, silk, or plastic. These cards feature one or more players, clubs, stadiums, or trophies. Football cards are most often found in ...

s in those times, releasing football collections in 1920, 1922 and 1923. Godfrey Phillips Ltd. issued a series of 1,100 football cards of the first collection, followed by 2,462 in 1922 and 940 in 1923. The outbreak of the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

caused a severe shortage of paper, and tobacco companies were forced to bring an end to the production of cigarette cards.The History of Football Cigarette Cards
by John Simkin, on Spartacus Educational, September 1997 File:Soldier corporal mayor card.jpg, Corporal Mayor, "Types of British Soldiers", 1900 File:Godfrey card marsh.jpg, Marian Marsh, "Film Favorites", 1934 File:Great northern railw card.jpg, Great Northern Railway locomotive, 1934 File:Chip off godfrey card.jpg, Dogs, "Animals" series, 1935 File:Davinci godfrey card.jpg,

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...

, "Famous Minors" series, 1936 File:Phillips card boyes.jpg, Walter Boyes of

West Bromwich West Bromwich ( ), commonly known as West Brom, is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is northwes ...

, 1936 File:Godfrey phillips colbert cleopatra.jpg,

Claudette Colbert Claudette Colbert (koʊlˈbɛər/ kohl-BAIR, born Émilie "Lily" Claudette Chauchoin (ʃoʃwɛ̃/ show-shwan); September 13, 1903 – July 30, 1996) was an American actress. Colbert began her career in Broadway theater, Broadway productions dur ...

as Cleopatra, 1938

References

External links

*
Cigarette war in Calcutta – Godfrey Phillips alleges mop-up by rival distributors
''The Telegraph''

{{Non-sports trading cards Manufacturing companies established in 1844 Tobacco companies of India Manufacturing companies based in Delhi Indian cigarette brands Companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange Companies listed on the National Stock Exchange of India Modi Enterprises Indian companies established in 1936 Indian companies established in 1844

History

Brands and products

Trading cards

See also

References

Further reading

External links