Biggest drop in cigarette sales

THE Balearics is the region with the biggest drop in cigarette sales in the first seven months of the year, it was revealed yesterday.
The number of packets sold dropped by nearly 12 per cent to 97.2 million, and the value in euros dropped by 10.5 per cent 2o 233.8 million.
Sales nationwide dropped by 3.5 per cent to 2'540 million packets, and the sales value dropped by 4.37 per cent to 5'633 million euros. Apart from the Balearics, major reductions in sales were also recorded in the Basque Country (down by six per cent to 138.6 million packets and a value of 303.5 million euros).
Madrid, Valencia and Asturias, all registered a drop of more than four per cent.
The region with the lowest drop in sales (less than one per cent) were Galicia, Extremadura, Navarre, Castilla-La Mancha and Castilla-Leon.
The drop in sales was most evident at the start of the year, when the anti-tobacco laws came into force.