By Timothy S. Donahue
Top Takeaways:
- Swedish boost: Imperial Brands acquired Yoik Group, owner of Helwit, which holds a 3.4% share of Sweden’s modern oral nicotine market.
- Pouch expansion: The deal more than doubles Imperial’s existing modern oral market share in Sweden, Europe’s largest oral nicotine market.
- Deal terms: Imperial paid an initial $54.8 million for Yoik, with additional consideration tied to performance over the next two years.
Imperial Brands is buying a larger share of Sweden’s nicotine pouch market.
Imperial Brands has acquired Swedish nicotine company Yoik Group AB, the owner of the Helwit brand, in a deal to strengthen the tobacco company’s next-generation product portfolio and immediately expand its position in Europe’s largest modern oral nicotine market.
Imperial acquired 100% of Yoik for an initial SEK 515 million ($54.8 million), with an additional deferred payment tied to the business’s performance over the next two years. Yoik’s employees, including its founders, will join Imperial.
Helwit holds a 3.4% share of Sweden’s modern oral nicotine market over the past 12 months, according to Imperial. The acquisition more than doubles Imperial’s share of the Swedish modern oral category.
According to Euromonitor data cited by Imperial, Sweden accounts for more than 40% of Europe’s modern oral nicotine volumes.
“This acquisition reflects our disciplined approach to strengthening our NGP portfolio in markets where we have an existing presence and see attractive long-term growth opportunities,” said Aleš Struminský, Imperial Brands’ Europe region president. “Helwit is a strong challenger brand with a significant market share and supports our broader growth strategy.”
Helwit, produced in Gransholm near Växjö, Sweden, offers a broad range of flavored nicotine pouches and has expanded beyond its domestic market through online sales throughout Europe. The brand is also available in select retail outlets in the UK.
The acquisition gives Imperial another brand to compete in the rapidly growing nicotine pouch category, alongside its existing Zone and Skruf offerings.
“The addition of Helwit to our portfolio strengthens our ability to appeal to a broader range of oral nicotine consumers,” said Tomaš Jauković, Imperial’s Sweden market manager. “We look forward to combining our consumer and sales expertise with Yoik’s consumer-led product development and brand-building capabilities to accelerate Helwit’s long-term growth.”
Yoik CEO Henrik Boson said the company built Helwit in response to consumer demand for distinctive flavors and pouch experiences.
“We are excited about combining this approach and our proven portfolio with Imperial’s commercial scale to continue breaking new ground,” Boson said.
