Cigarette-maker moving U.S. headquarters to Raleigh

A major international cigarette manufacturer is relocating its U.S. headquarters to Raleigh — a move that is expected to bring more than 100 jobs to the city.

JT International U.S.A. Inc. will move later this year from offices in Teaneck, New Jersey, to One North Hills Tower in the city's North Hills area, the company said Thursday.

JTI — which makes Winston, Camel and other brands of cigarettes in international markets and the LD brand in the U.S. — has roots and an existing presence in the region. The Geneva, Switzerland-based company was formed in 1999 when Japan Tobacco acquired the non-U.S. operations of Winston-Salem-based R.J. Reynolds Tobacco. JTI, a division of Tokyo-based Japan Tobacco.

The company has hundreds of contracted tobacco farms and a large buying station in Wilson, the company said. And in January, Danville, Virginia, officials said tobacco processing unit JTI Leaf Services would undergo a multimillion-dollar expansion at a facility in the city, where it plans to add 100 jobs.

In Raleigh, JTI expects to hire sales, customer service and administration employees. The company says it is also looking for people with marketing, finance, and human resources skills.

“Raleigh is an ideal location for our new headquarters because it is a vibrant and growing city with a top of its class talent pool for recruitment of new employees,” Corrado Mautone, a JTI president and general manager, said in a statement.

JTI on Thursday reported an 8.7% profit increase during the first quarter of 2024, compared with the same quarter in 2023, due in part to reduced expenses and favorable currency swings that offset volume declines in key markets. The company, which employs about 46,000 people globally, is looking to expand into new markets throughout the year, the company said.