The cuts are part of a broader cost-cutting plan that Imperial announced in May. By the end of 2030, Imperial wants to trim annual costs by £320 million ($432 million). That goal is now turning into real job losses. Employees at ITG Brands, the subsidiary that handles Imperial's US, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico business, will start being informed on Aug. 19.
Imperial had about 25,800 employees worldwide at the end of 2025. It is hard to say exactly how many of them will lose their jobs, because the company has not given a specific figure.
A spokesperson said, "Under our 2030 strategy, we are committed to a multiyear program of investment to become a more consumer-focused, agile, data-led and efficient business."
The cuts at ITG Brands are coming in waves, and the first round targets back-office roles. Human resources, finance, procurement, and supply-chain staff will be notified first. A second round will hit legal, marketing, insights, and intelligence teams, with notifications in April and the jobs ending around mid-year. ITG's US workforce is just under 2,000, so these cuts will touch a meaningful chunk of the team.
Some jobs will survive, just in different hands. Before the end of the year, certain ITG positions will move to Capgemini SE, a tech consulting company that Imperial has been working with.
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The spokesperson also acknowledged the human cost: "We recognize the impact on those colleagues and are committed to supporting them throughout."
This is not Imperial's first round of restructuring, and it likely will not be its last. Rising costs and smokers switching to nicotine pouches and vapes have pushed the company to keep reshaping itself. In 2025, it decided to shut a large German cigarette plant, a move that affected hundreds of workers.
The job cuts are tied to a bigger strategic shift at Imperial. The company is discontinuing its US e-cigarette business, and the reason is pretty straightforward: the FDA keeps saying no. Regulators have repeatedly denied permission for Imperial to market the "blu" e-cigarette. Without that permission, the product cannot stay on the US market, so Imperial is dropping it and putting more energy into oral nicotine alternatives like nicotine pouches.
In May, Imperial bought Black Buffalo, a US oral nicotine company, for at least $150 million.
None of this means Imperial is quitting cigarettes entirely. Unlike some rivals, it has not committed to phasing out traditional cigarettes, and those still account for most of its revenue. The company is trying to have it both ways: keep the cash cow while planting seeds for the future.
Imperial is not alone in this painful transition. British American Tobacco, one of its main competitors, is cutting about a fifth of its global workforce, including 9,000 jobs.
The old model of selling cigarettes is getting harder, and every major player is trying to figure out how to stay profitable while regulators push smoking toward the exits.
For investors, the danger is clear. Tobacco stocks have long been seen as steady, boring investments that pay reliable dividends. But that reputation depends on the business staying stable, and it is not stable right now.
The shift to nicotine pouches and other alternatives could work out, and the Black Buffalo deal shows Imperial is willing to spend real money to make it happen. But building new businesses is expensive, and the old ones are shrinking. That combination usually means more restructuring, more uncertainty, and more difficult decisions about jobs.
The way Imperial handles this transition will show whether it can keep its profits healthy while adapting to a world where fewer people light up. The spokesperson said, "Over time, the changes we are making will have an impact across our global market footprint. We will fully consult with those people affected before making any wider announcements."
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