Altria’s Market Share Erodes as Competition Intensifies in Smokeless Nicotine Sector

The strategic pivot by U.S. tobacco heavyweight Altria away from traditional cigarettes faces significant headwinds in the critical smokeless product category that represents its future growth. Recent market data reveals that while nicotine pouches are experiencing explosive expansion, Altria’s flagship “on!” brand is rapidly surrendering market position to aggressive competitors.

Third-quarter 2025 figures demonstrate nicotine pouches now constitute 55.7% of the entire U.S. oral tobacco market—a substantial annual increase of 11.1 percentage points. Despite this sector-wide boom, Altria’s performance has disappointed. The company’s “on!” brand witnessed a 4.1 percentage point market share decline during the same period, now holding just 15.6% of the nicotine pouch segment.

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