Altria seeks to tap wide-ranging tobacco users

(Reuters) Today's smokers are more open to trying different types of tobacco than smokers of previous generations, and Altria Group Inc is working on new products to entice consumers who want a change from cigarettes, the company said.
The company, best-known for its Marlboro cigarettes, also stood by the profit forecast it gave in late January.
Altria, whose other products include Skoal and Copenhagen smokeless tobacco and Black & Mild cigars, has seen a shift in tobacco usage in the United States. While the number of smokers of both cigarettes and cigars has remained relatively flat, usage of smokeless tobacco has risen. Still, Marlboro - with 42 percent retail market share in the cigarette industry - remains the dominant brand in Altria's portfolio. Continued