Eastern Company, Egypt’s leading tobacco producer, announced on Tuesday, 5 November, that it would be raising prices on all its locally produced cigarettes, including Cleopatra and other popular brands, by an average of 12 percent.
This marks the company’s fourth price hike in 2024, following increases in February, April, and July.
The new prices aim to alleviate rising production costs caused by the depreciation of the Egyptian pound against the US dollar, escalating raw material expenses, and increased shipping costs, confirmed by Youm7 (Day 7).
Eastern Company noted that raw materials, including tobacco, make up over 75 percent of total production costs, excluding taxes, creating a significant financial strain.
With the price adjustments, a 10-pack of Cleopatra box cigarettes will now retail at EGP 27 (USD 0.55) , up from EGP 25 (USD 0.51) , while a 20-pack of Cleopatra, the company’s most affordable brand, is now priced at EGP 38.7 (USD 0.79), an increase from EGP 34.72 (USD 0.70).
The revised prices also apply to various Cleopatra products, such as Cleopatra King Size and Cleopatra Black Label, along with other brands like Mondial and Viceroy.
This latest increase comes amid rising inflation rates in Egypt. According to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), Egypt’s annual urban headline inflation inched up to 26.4 percent in September 2024, up from 26.2 percent in August, while the Central Bank of Egypt reported a core inflation rate of 25 percent.
In 2024, an estimated 24.43 percent of Egypt’s adult population reportedly smoked daily, reflecting an increase from previous years. As of 2020, around 17.7 percent of the population aged 15 and over were smokers, totaling approximately 18 million people.
