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Imperial Brands Just Bought Helwit for SEK 515 Million

The maker of Skruf acquired 100% of Yoik Group, the Swedish company behind Helwit — more than doubling Imperial's modern oral share in Europe's biggest pouch market.

PouchDaily Desk·
Imperial BrandsHelwitacquisitionSwedenSkruf

Imperial Brands has bought 100% of Yoik Group AB — the Swedish company behind the Helwit nicotine pouch brand — for an initial SEK 515 million (£39.8 million), plus a deferred payment tied to performance over the next two years.

The deal, announced on September 7, more than doubles Imperial's share of Sweden's modern oral nicotine market, Europe's largest. Sweden accounts for more than 40% of total European modern oral volumes, and Helwit holds a 3.4% domestic share over the past 12 months. Imperial already sells in Sweden through Skruf, so Helwit lands on top of an existing operation rather than replacing one.

Who Helwit is

Yoik was founded in 2019 in Gransholm, near Växjö, and built Helwit into one of the last big independent challenger brands in the Swedish market. The brand leans on a flavour-led portfolio that goes well beyond mint, a distinct Swedish design identity, and online sales across Europe plus select UK retail.

Under the deal the entire Yoik team — founders included — joins Imperial. CEO Henrik Boson, who built the brand, said: "We built Helwit hand-in-hand with our consumers to develop the distinctive flavours and pouch experience they wanted. We are excited about combining this approach and our proven portfolio with Imperial's commercial scale to continue breaking new ground."

Why it matters

This is a consolidation signal, not just a purchase. The big four tobacco companies have been buying their way into modern oral for years, but most of the obvious targets are gone. Helwit was one of the few remaining independents with a real share number in the most developed pouch market on earth — and Imperial paid for it under its bolt-on acquisition policy rather than a headline-grabbing premium.

For Swedish pouch buyers, the short-term promise is continuity: Imperial says Helwit keeps its flavour-led portfolio and Swedish heritage, and the people who built it stay on. The longer-term question is the one every acquired challenger brand faces — how much of what made it a challenger survives inside a FTSE 100 group that also owns Skruf.

The deal also lands in a regulatory environment Sweden's own government helped shape. With daily smoking down to around 5% — a level oral nicotine has clearly contributed to — white pouches remain politically contested in Stockholm despite the numbers. A global company doubling down on the category is a bet that the science-backed argument wins out.

Aleš Struminský, Imperial's Europe Region President, framed the buy the same way: "This acquisition reflects our disciplined approach to strengthening our NGP portfolio in markets where we have an existing presence and see attractive long-term growth opportunities."

If you're weighing Helwit's flavours against the rest of the market, PouchFinder compares pouches across brands.

SOURCES