Israeli tobacco and snack importer Globrandes is set to lose its leading cigarette brands after failing to reach an agreement with JTI on renewing their distribution deal, which is due to expire early next year. The company estimates that ending the agreement would cut net profit by 35 million shekels.
Globrandes has served as JTI’s importer and distributor in Israel since 2001, handling Winston, Camel, and American Spirit cigarettes and rolling tobacco. Those brands accounted for about 45% of its sales in recent years, so losing them is expected to materially weaken the business.
Last month, the company also said it would sharply scale back its confectionery and snack operations, phasing them out by the fourth quarter as part of efficiency measures aimed at improving profitability. That move means it will give up selling Unilever brands Klik and Biegel Biegel, as well as Mars and Blue.
Going forward, Globrandes says it will focus on its own brands, including the WIN protein line and the Spanish nut and peanut brand SalySol, plus its “quality of life” business, which supplies medical equipment to health funds and hospitals. It also entered medical cannabis last year, providing transport, storage, and distribution services to pharmacies. In tobacco, it will concentrate on BAT products such as Golden Virginia, Kent, and Pall Mall, and last year it signed a deal to distribute single-use vaping products. Globrandes currently holds about 38% of Israel’s cigarette market, behind Philip Morris at roughly 56% and ahead of Dubek at about 5%. The company ended 2025 with 3.7 billion shekels in revenue, about flat year on year, and net profit of 59 million shekels, down 20% from 2024. It is valued at about 175 million shekels.
