Big Tobacco will feel the burn of more expensive gas

Smokers have struggled through multiple increases in the price of a pack of cigarettes over the past two years. What happens at the pump could soon force them to save.

The volume of cigarettes sold in the US fell 9.4% in the four weeks ended March 26 compared to the same period last year, data from Nielsen shows. This is a deterioration from already weak volumes in February, which fell 7.9% year-on-year.