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Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling in Canada Industry Data and Analysis
Canada's Cigarette and Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry has surpassed major obstacles and successfully adapted to new consumer trends and client procedures. Federal and provincial governments have levied higher excise taxes on cigarette products to raise tax revenue and reduce tobacco consumption. To sustain profit amid declining sales volumes, cigarette manufacturers have consistently raised product prices, allowing wholesalers to raise their prices as well and maintain profit. Industry revenue is, overall, expected to drop at a CAGR of 5.2% over the past five years to reach $8.1 billion in 2025, including a 6.2% dip in 2025. Traditional merchant wholesalers have endured robust competition from large-scale cigarette manufacturers that also wholesale their tobacco. This has led to significant restructuring and only marginal growth in employment over the past five years, as many players exited the market or consolidated operations to reduce costs.
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What's included in this industry analysis
IBISWorld's research coverage on the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada includes market sizing, forecasting, data and analysis from 2015-2030. The most recent publication was released October 2025.
About this industry
What's this industry report about?
The Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada operates under the NAICS industry code 41331CA. The Cigarette and Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada acquires packaged cigarettes and other tobacco products from manufacturers and sells the goods to various retail stores, such as supermarkets, convenience stores, specialized tobacco stores and bars. They may also sell to other wholesalers. The sales and distribution offices of tobacco product manufacturers are included in this industry. Related terms covered in the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada include snus, snuf , chewing tobacco, electronic cigarette, dissoluble tobacco, cigarillos and fine-cut tobacco.
What's included in this industry?
Products and services covered in Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada include Premium cigarettes, Mid-priced cigarettes and Economy cigarettes.
What companies are included in this industry?
Companies covered in the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada include Imperial Tobacco Canada, Core-Mark and Wallace & Carey.
Performance
What's included in the Performance chapter?
The Performance chapter covers detailed analysis, datasets, detailed current performance, sources of volatility and an outlook with forecasts for the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada.
Questions answered in this chapter include what's driving current industry performance, what influences industry volatility, how do successful businesses overcome volatility, what's driving the industry outlook. This analysis is supported with data and statistics on industry revenues, costs, profits, businesses and employees.
Products & Markets
What's included in the Products and Markets chapter?
The Products and Markets chapter covers detailed products and service segmentation and analysis of major markets for the for the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada.
Questions answered in this chapter include how are the industry's products and services performing, what are innovations in industry products and services, what products or services do successful businesses offer and what's influencing demand from the industry's markets. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by product and service segmentation and major markets.
Geographic Breakdown
What's included in the Geographic Breakdown chapter?
The Geographic Breakdown chapter covers detailed analysis and datasets on regional performance of the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada.
Questions answered in this chapter include where are industry businesses located and how do businesses use location to their advantage. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by location.
Competitive Forces
What's included in the Competitive Forces chapter?
The Competitive Forces chapter covers the concentration, barriers to entry and supplier and buyer profiles in the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada. This includes data and statistics on industry market share concentration, barriers to entry, substitute products and buyer & supplier power.
Questions answered in this chapter include what impacts the industry's market share concentration, how do successful businesses handle concentration, what challenges do potential industry entrants face, how can potential entrants overcome barriers to entry, what are substitutes for industry services, how do successful businesses compete with substitutes and what power do buyers and suppliers have over the industry and how do successful businesses manage buyer & supplier power.
Companies
What's included in the Companies chapter?
The Companies chapter covers Key Takeaways, Market Share and Companies in the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada. This includes data and analysis on companies operating in the industry that hold a market share greater than 5%.
Questions answered in this chapter include what companies have a meaningful market share and how each company is performing.
External Environment
What's included in the External Environment chapter?
The External Environment chapter covers Key Takeaways, External Drivers, Regulation & Policy and Assistance in the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada. This includes data and statistics on factors impacting industry revenue such as economic indicators, regulation, policy and assistance programs.
Questions answered in this chapter include what demographic and macroeconomic factors impact the industry, what regulations impact the industry, what assistance is available to this industry.
Financial Benchmarks
What's included in the Financial Benchmarks chapter?
The Financial Benchmarks chapter covers Key Takeaways, Cost Structure, Financial Ratios, Valuation Multiples and Key Ratios in the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada. This includes financial data and statistics on industry performance including key cost inputs, profitability, key financial ratios and enterprise value multiples.
Questions answered in this chapter include what trends impact industry costs and how financial ratios have changed overtime.
Industry Data
What's included in the Industry Data chapter?
The Industry Data chapter includes 10 years of historical data with 5 years of forecast data covering statistics like revenue, industry value add, establishments, enterprises, employment and wages in the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the market size of the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada in 2026?
The market size of the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada is $8.1bn in 2026.
How many businesses are there in the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada in 2025?
There are 378 businesses in the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada, which has grown at a CAGR of 10.3 % between 2020 and 2025.
How may import tariffs affect the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada?
The Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada is unlikely to be materially impacted by import tariffs with imports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
How may export tariffs affect the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada?
The Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada is unlikely to be materially impacted by export tariffs with exports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
Has the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada grown or declined over the past 5 years?
The market size of the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada has been declining at a CAGR of 5.2 % between 2020 and 2025.
What is the forecast growth of the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada over the next 5 years?
Over the next five years, the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada is expected to decline.
What are the biggest companies in the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada?
The biggest companies operating in the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada are Imperial Tobacco Canada, Core-Mark and Wallace & Carey
What does the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada include?
Distributing cigarettes and Distributing cigars are part of the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada.
Which companies have the highest market share in the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada?
The company holding the most market share in the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada is Imperial Tobacco Canada.
How competitive is the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada?
The level of competition is high and steady in the Cigarette & Tobacco Product Wholesaling industry in Canada.
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