Hookah tobacco has become more popular among Russians: demand for it in the first months of this year was 15% higher than a year ago, according to a study by Atol for RIA Novosti.
Analysts studied the demand of Russians in non-chain retail stores (that is, outlets at home) in January-February of this year and last year in the tobacco and tobacco products category.
"The demand for tobacco products increased by 4%. Sales of hookah tobacco increased the most in January-February, by 15% compared to the same period in 2024. The number of purchases of the most popular product in the category, cigarettes, which account for 88% of sales, increased by 3%," the analysts calculated.
Tobacco in the category accounts for 5% of sales, tobacco directly for hookah – 4%, cigarettes, cigars and cigarillos - 3% in total. According to the study's authors, sales of cigarettes increased by 11%, cigarillos – by 9%, and tobacco – by 2%.
At the same time, the average cost of buying a pack of cigarettes in January-February 2025 was 188 rubles. This is 3% higher than in the previous year. The average bill for the purchase of tobacco was fixed at 376 rubles (+6%), tobacco for hookahs - 274 rubles (+5%), cigarettes – 289 rubles (+4%).
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