BAT sales beat estimates on gains across western Europe

LONDON: British American Tobacco Plc (BAT), the maker of Lucky Strike cigarettes, reported sales growth that beat analysts’ estimates due to higher volumes in western Europe.

A 13% jump in the number of cigarettes sold in western Europe helped BAT report first-quarter revenue that rose 7.5% at constant exchange rates. That compares with the 5.1% median estimate of 12 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. The shares rose as much as 2.5% in early London trading.