In a letter addressed to its customers, Intertabak AG informed them about an announcement from Habanos S.A., the sales and marketing organization for Cuban cigars. The announcement states that they will be reducing the deliveries of Cuban cigars to countries whose distribution structures are not entirely under their control.
Habanos owns 50 percent of Intertabak AG, with the Villiger and Lévy families sharing the other half. In addition to Switzerland, several markets, such as Germany, Austria, Poland, and the U.K. (among others), are also expected to be affected by this.
It is unclear how many fewer cigars will be available in Switzerland in 2024. Tony Hoevenaars, the managing director of Intertabak AG, hopes that the situation in Switzerland will improve in the future so that they can return to normal as soon as possible.
Cuban cigar stocks have been low in many countries globally for some time now, which will exacerbate the shortage of Cuban cigars in the humidors of retailers in these markets. This news comes at the heels of Habano S.A. pulling out of the Intertabac fair in Germany.