BAT smokin' as profits soar 18%

CIGARETTE maker British American Tobacco has made a "great start" to the year with first-quarter profits up 18 per cent.

Profits at the group, whose brands include Dunhill, Rothmans and Lucky Strike, soared to £807 million during the three months to 31 March, figures yesterday revealed. Booming sales in emerging economies such as Russia, Romania and territories further east helped contribute to the upswing, with the group also enjoying a £54m "tailwind" from favourable currency movements.