BAT’s purpose and strategy

The BAT Group set out an inspiring purpose for the whole company when it introduced its evolved strategy in March 2020.

The Group’s purpose is to build A Better Tomorrow TM by reducing the health impact of its business through offering a greater choice of enjoyable and less risky products for our consumers.

It will evolve its growth model through the development of a portfolio in tobacco, nicotine and beyond, meeting consumers’ evolving needs for enjoyment and satisfaction.

While cigarettes will be at the core of its business for some time to come, the Group aims to generate an increasingly greater proportion of revenue from products other than cigarettes and so reduce the health impact of its business.

This will deliver A Better Tomorrow TM for consumers who will have range of enjoyable and potentially less risky choices for every mood and moment, for society through educing the overall health and environmental impacts of our business; for employees by creating a dynamic and purposeful place to work; and for shareholders by delivering sustainable superior returns.

  • Consumers who will have a range of enjoyable and less risky choices for every mood and moment;
  • Society through reducing the overall health and environmental impact of our business;
  • Employees by creating a dynamic and purposeful place to work;
  • and Shareholders by delivering sustainable superior returns

Meeting Consumer Needs

BAT sees new opportunities to capture consumer moments which have, over time, become limited by societal and regulatory shifts, and to satisfy evolving consumer needs and preferences.

Consequently, the Group has evolved its strategy to put a sharper focus on delivering a step change in New Categories performance, fueled by investment from the continued delivery of its combustible business.

BAT’s evolved strategy is about anticipating and satisfying the ever-evolving consumer: providing pleasure, reducing risk, offering and increasing choice and stimulating the senses of adult consumers worldwide.

BAT will satisfy consumer needs through a focused portfolio of products that offer sensorial enjoyment for a variety of moods and moments.

You can read more about our Group’s purpose and strategy on our corporate website , bat.com

Our purpose and strategy

Our mission

Stimulating the senses of new adult generations

Today, we see opportunities to capture consumer moments which have, over time, become limited by societal and regulatory shifts, and to satisfy evolving consumer needs and preferences. Our mission is to anticipate and satisfy this ever-evolving consumer: provide pleasure, reduce risk, increase choice and stimulate the senses of adult consumers worldwide.

How we win

Must wins

High Growth Segments

Driven by our unique and data-driven consumer insight platform (PRISM), we will focus on product categories and consumer segments across our global business that have the best potential for long-term sustainable growth.

Priority Markets

By relying on a rigorous market prioritisation system (MAPS), we will focus the strengths of our unparalleled retail and marketing reach, as well as our regulatory and scientific expertise, on those markets and marketplaces with the greatest opportunities for growth.

How we win

Inspirational foresights

As one of the most long-standing and established consumer goods businesses in the world, we have a unique view of the consumer across four product categories, which is increasingly driven by powerful data and analytics. These insights ensure that the development and responsible marketing of our products is fit to satisfy consumer needs.

Remarkable innovation

As consumer preferences and technology evolve rapidly, we rely on our growing global network of digital hubs, innovation super centres, world-class R&D laboratories, external partnerships and an upcoming corporate venturing initiative to stay ahead of the curve.

Powerful brands

For over a century, we have built trusted and powerful brands that satisfy our consumers and serve as a promise for quality and enjoyment. We will focus on fewer, stronger and global brands across all our product categories, delivered through our deep understanding and segmenting of our consumers.

Connected

Few companies can claim over 150 million daily consumers, over 11 million retail points of sale, as well as a network of expert and skilled employees around the world. Staying connected to all of them, especially through digital means (including e-commerce), ensures better consumer connections, access to markets and innovations that offer sensorial enjoyment and satisfy consumer needs.

People and partnerships

Our highly-motivated people are being empowered through a new ethos that is responsive to constant change, embodies a learning culture and is dedicated to continuous improvement. But we cannot succeed on our own, and our partnerships with farmers, suppliers and customers are also key for ensuring sustainable future growth.

US focus

The United States comprises nearly half of our global business. It is also the single largest economy in the world, the largest single centre for technology and the key driver of global consumer trends, and is where we have the deep consumer understanding and financial strength to support the delivery of our mission to stimulate consumer senses around the rest of the world.

Our purpose

A Better Tomorrow TM

By stimulating the senses of new adult generations, our purpose is to create A Better Tomorrow™ for all our stakeholders.

Key stakeholder outcomes

We will create A Better Tomorrow for:

Consumers

Consumers

By responsibly offering enjoyable and stimulating choices for every mood and every moment, today and tomorrow;

Society

Society

By reducing the health impact of our business by offering a range of alternative products, as well as by reducing our environmental and social impacts;

Employees

Employees

By creating a dynamic, inspiring and purposeful place to work; and

Shareholders

Shareholders

By delivering sustainable and superior returns.

Ethos

Our purpose is to build A Better Tomorrow™ by reducing the health impact of our business through offering a greater choice of enjoyable and less-risky products for our consumers.

A key driver to deliver this will be our Ethos – an evolution of our Guiding Principles – which guides behaviours across the entire Group.

More on our Ethos

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