Reynolds American Inc. (NYSE: RAI), based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and founded by Richard Joshua Reynolds as the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in 1874, is the fourth-largest tobacco firm in the global tobacco industry, and the second-largest U.S. firm (behind Philip Morris). New York Stock Exchange (June 2003) The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is the second largest stock exchange in the world. ...

During the 1980s and 1990s, the firm was part of a corporation called RJR Nabisco, but Nabisco was spun out of RJR Nabisco in 1999, in part due to pressure from tobacco-related lawsuits.

In February 1989, RJR Nabisco paid executive F. Ross Johnson US$53,800,000 as part of a golden handshake clause. This is listed by Guinness World Records as the largest Golden handshake ever.

In October 2002, the European Union accused R. J. Reynolds of selling black market cigarettes to drug traffickers and mobsters from Italy, Russia, Colombia and the Balkans.

On July 30, 2004, R.J. Reynolds merged with the U.S. operations of Brown & Williamson. A new parent company, Reynolds American Inc., was established as part of the transaction.

Favourite brands are Camel cigarettes and Kool. Winston, Salem, Doral, Eclipse and Pall Mall are also R.J. Reynolds brands. Brands still manufactured but no longer receiving marketing support include Barclay, Belair, Capri, Carlton, GPC, Lucky Strike, Misty, Monarch, More, Now, Tareyton, Vantage, and Viceroy. The company also manufactures certain private-label brands. This brand portfolio information was obtained from the rjrt.com web site and was current as of July 2005.

Ownership

British American Tobacco: 42%