The Regie signs an agreement with British American Tobacco to produce Kent and Viceroy in Lebanon

A ceremony was held today, Wednesday, at the Regies’ headquarter in Hadath marking the signing of a partnership agreement between the Regie and British American Tobacco (BAT), under which the Regie will manufacture its global brands KENT and Viceroy at its plants and under the supervision of international experts.

The agreement was signed by General Director and President Nassif Seklaoui, on behalf of the Regie and General Manager of the Middle East and Yemen Wael Attari, on behalf of BAT in the presence of the President of the Lebanese Investors Association, the Industrialists Jacques Sarraf and members of the Regie’s board of directors; Georges Hobeika, Dr. Issam Salman, and Mazen Abboud, the Government Commissioner Mirna Baz, Financial Controller Carol Youssef, a delegation from BAT in Lebanon and abroad, and heads of sales.

 

Seklaoui

Seklaoui said that " today the Regie is a profitable sector and has become a pioneer in the Middle Eastern tobacco industry, and it will always swim against the tide of frustration, deserving to be developed and to grow."

Announcing the intent to launch the locally manufactured brands of Kent and Viceroy on the market, he said that the Regie is proud to have signed a new agreement with a major international tobacco company such as BAT in order to manufacture their products in Lebanon", considering it an achievement that deserves to be added to the list of the Regie’s accomplishments in investment in national industry. "

He stressed that the Regie has worked hard to maintain the confidence of international companies and has invested in this confidence to serve this sector and achieved the highest quality standards. He pointed out that for the fourth year the Regie is granted ISO certification, which indicates its continuous improvement".
"The Regie has achieved unprecedented progress in the manufacturing sector", he said. "In the past four years, under the support of Minister of Finance Ali Hassan Khalil, we have been able to put the Regie on the map of local and international industry”, adding that his organization now has 12 production lines, 19 foreign and nine local brands, while its production capacity reached 80,000 packs monthly".

He explained that the Regie’s methods of work are based on "measuring the quality of performance, empowering the staff, and, of course, mechanization."
He considered that "the economic importance of this type of agreements starts with reducing the deficit in the balance of external payment, creating an economic cycle at the level of operating complementary industries such as cardboard, aluminum, raw materials, and other industries, and providing an important and added revenue to the Lebanese treasury, as well as providing job opportunities for Lebanese citizens, exchanging experiences, integrating foreign capabilities with national ones, and most importantly fighting smuggling to the maximum possible extent and, as a result of the seizure of the market of illegal trade, compensating the profits lost by the treasury.

He added: "It is also important to share the responsibility of activating the local economic cycle and investment in the domestic market in terms of securing raw materials for industrialization and prioritizing national companies."

"This achievement would not have been possible without a team that believes success is a responsibility," he said. "This responsibility made us increase our efforts and sometimes at the expense of our families and our health."

"We reaffirm that we are able not only to develop plans and perspectives, but also to achieve, measure and improve the vision, which represents the concept of quality. Thus we have gained the confidence of global tobacco companies."

 

"After decades of fruitful partnership, BAT has decided to entrust the Regie the task of manufacturing its products". Atari said. "This decision reflects the confidence of the BAT in the administration of this prestigious organization, which has proven its wisdom and leadership in developing this important sector in order to keep abreast with latest global technology and trends development, as well as its high sense of responsibility and commitment to support its partners over the years."
Atari added that this step is part of the company's continuous endeavor to consolidate its position in Lebanon and translate its faith in this country. He added: "Today, we are contributing to the promotion and the translation of the brand "Made in Lebanon" by linking Lebanese industry to world-leading brands, which in turn will drive the local industry toward international standards in terms of applying the highest standards of quality and diversity."

He continued: "Our confidence in the Regie is based on a concrete long-term partnership. Within this agreement, which was the result of unlimited cooperation, the Regie has put all of its energies at the disposal of our team for the duration of the implementation of preparatory programs and initial tests, which succeeded thanks to the flexibility and professionalism of the Regie’s staff. The Regie has recently started to manufacture two major BAT brands in the Lebanese market with the same quality and international standards, accompanied by our technical supervision teams and with the latest manufacturing facilities available at the Regie. "
I hope that this step will be the cornerstone of strengthening this cooperation in the near future to the extent of manufacturing all other brands in the Regie’s existing and future facilities to be launched in the Lebanese markets." He stressed that BAT "will be keen to transfer its global expertise to Lebanon, which will contribute to stimulating the level of efficiency of the Regie’s productive operations."

He underlined "the Regie’s extraordinary role in the development of tobacco sector in Lebanon." He noted that "it is an example to be followed in terms of professionalism, vision, strategic planning, adherence to international standards, integrity, and wise management represented by its President and General Director Eng. Nassif SEklaoui". "Over the decades of hard work, the Regie has been keen to excel in all of its operations from production and importation to marketing and distribution, which, in addition to positioning Lebanon on the tobacco map despite major challenges, has been a key element in the creation and consolidation of the position of BAT on the Lebanese market on a solid and sustainable basis, and in spreading their varieties of brands over the decades." In this regard, he praised the "great and fundamental role of heads of sales, for this success could not have been achieved without their long experience and professionalism and continued cooperation."

He stressed the company's commitment to doing business "responsibly and sustainably while maintaining its position as one of the world's leading tobacco companies." "Despite the delicate and sensitive nature of our business and the growing competition in this sector, we remain committed to excellence, but we are keen to fully comply with our internal principles, which emphasize compliance with all applicable laws and transparency in our transactions. We put, as well, responsible standards of marketing that govern all the practices of our business and internal and external relations." "At the level of governments, we are working with them to develop a legislative framework that protects consumers and economy alike," he said. He stressed that the company stands by the Regie to put at the disposal of the Lebanese government its long experience in the development of fair and logical laws that take into account national priorities and balance between financial, economic, health, and social policies. He considered "the legislative environment is protecting and preserving these policies, while treasury revenues, investment, legal trade, and legitimate competition strengthen legitimate competition at the expense of illegal trade of tobacco products, a problem that has long plagued both the Regie and legal companies." He stressed the company's commitment to "support the efforts of the Lebanese government to combat illegal trade, especially as it affects the activities of companies legitimately licensed to operate within this sector."

He concluded by saying that "this step will be the beginning of a series of joint success that will provide the Lebanese economy a qualitative leap and the sector as a whole an added value that will enhance its contribution to the national GDP and achieve the company's ambitions in Lebanon and the region."