History and Acquisitions
- R. J. Reynolds sold his shares of his father's tobacco company and started his own tobacco company in Winston-Salem.
- The company's factory buildings were the largest in Winston-Salem, equipped with new technologies.
- Reynolds bought most of the competing tobacco factories in Winston-Salem.
- The company produced 25% of America's chewing tobacco.
- Winston-Salem became an official port of entry for the United States due to the importation of materials for Camel cigarettes.
- RJR Nabisco was acquired through a leveraged buyout by Kohlberg Kravis and Roberts & Co in 1988.
- RJR Nabisco paid a record-breaking severance compensation to executive F. Ross Johnson.
- RJR Nabisco spun off R.J. Reynolds Tobacco in 1999.
- R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings later acquired Nabisco Group Holdings Inc.
- R.J. Reynolds merged with the U.S. operations of British American Tobacco in 2004.
- Reynolds American agreed to buy Lorillard Tobacco Company for $27.4 billion in 2014.
- RJR is a major tobacco company.
- RJR was acquired by British American Tobacco in 2017.
- RJR has been involved in major tobacco deals.
Marketing, Sponsorships, and Criticisms
- R.J. Reynolds sponsored the NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series, NASCAR Winston Cup Series, and IMSA Camel GT for sportscars.
- The NHRA sponsorship ended in 2001 due to a new governing rule, and R.J. Reynolds chose NASCAR as their sole sponsorship.
- Camel sponsored the Lotus Formula One team from 1987 to 1990.
- RJR brands Winston and Camel were sponsors of the 1982 and 1986 FIFA World Cups, respectively.
- R.J. Reynolds opened the Marshall McGearty Lounge in Chicago in 2005 as part of a marketing strategy to promote a brand of cigarettes.
- RJR has used brand logos to target children.
- RJR's marketing strategies have faced criticism.
Lawsuits and Controversies
- CEO James Johnston testified that he didn't believe nicotine is addictive in 1994.
- R.J. Reynolds was part of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement in 1998.
- R.J. Reynolds was fined for distributing free cigarettes to children in 2002.
- The European Union filed unsuccessful civil suits against R.J. Reynolds for selling black market cigarettes.
- Former R.J. Reynolds vice-president Stan Smith pleaded guilty to defrauding the Government of Canada in 2006.
- R.J. Reynolds faced a campaign by the Farm Labor Organizing Committee to improve farmworkers' conditions.
- In 2011, R.J. Reynolds was found guilty and ordered to pay $1 million in a lawsuit filed by a smoker who developed cancer and lung disease.
- In 2020, Chief Judge Rodney Gilstrap ruled that Reynolds remained liable for an $8 billion settlement payment to the State of Texas.
Facilities and Real Estate
- Building No. 12 was bought by Forsyth County in 1990 after manufacturing ended there.
- Building 60 was built in 1923 and later renovated.
- Buildings 90-3 and 90-1A at 635 Vine were built in the early 1960s and later renovated.
- Building 91, a machine shop built in 1937, was later renovated and became part of the research park.
- Bailey Power Plant, built in 1947, included Buildings 23-1, 23-2, and the Morris Building.
- The three-story leaf buildings, 2-1 building, and 2-2 building were located on Reynolds Boulevard.
- These buildings were named to the National Register of Historic Places in October 2017.
- C.A. Harrison Cos. LLC announced the renovation of these buildings for loft apartments in October 2019.
- The Whitaker Park plant, built in 1961, was considered the world's largest and most modern cigarette-manufacturing plant.
- Manufacturing at Whitaker Park ceased in May 2010, and the plant was donated to Whitaker Park Development Authority Inc.
- The RJR Plaza Building, completed in 1982, is the current headquarters of R.J. Reynolds.
- The original 1929 Reynolds Building stood vacant until it was converted into a hotel in 2014.
- RJR has moved its headquarters multiple times.
- RJR's former tobacco buildings have been repurposed.
- RJR has sold and moved out of historic buildings.
Tobacco Products and Knowledge
- RJR produces various tobacco products.
- By 1953, RJ Reynolds believed internally that cigarettes caused cancer.
- In 1953, a research chemist released a confidential document confirming the link between tobacco and lung cancer.
- The document also mentioned findings of animal studies indicating the presence of carcinogens.
- RJR is estimated to manufacture one in three cigarettes sold in the United States.
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Data Sources
Reference | URL |
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Glossary | https://www.alternix.com/blogs/glossary-of-terms/r-j-reynolds-tobacco-company |
Wikipedia | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._J._Reynolds_Tobacco_Company |
Wikidata | https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1759032 |
Knowledge Graph | https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/01207m |