A woman poses with a cigarette in front of Imperial Brands logo in this illustration taken July 26, 2022. The company also announced a share buyback of 1.1 billion pounds ($1.34 billion). Rival British American Tobacco (BATS.L) has lost more than 24% of its share value. In recent years, Imperial Brands has focused on its top five markets and expanding next-generation products deemed less harmful to health. ($1 = 0.8230 pounds)Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Krishna Chandra Eluri and Michael PerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Persons: Dado Ruvic, buyback, Hargreaves, Derren Nathan, Winston, blu vapes, Richard Hunter, Eva Mathews, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Krishna Chandra Eluri, Michael Perry Organizations: Imperial Brands, REUTERS, FTSE, British American Tobacco, Interactive, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru