Maker of Marlboros May Buy Skoal for $10B

The nation’s largest cigarette maker, Altria Group, is in talks to acquire UST, the producer of Skoal and Copenhagen smokeless tobaccos for a rumored $10 billion, the New York Times reports. Altria, a spinoff of Philip Morris, makes Marlboro cigarettes. Negotiators were poised to strike a deal over the weekend, the Times notes.

Analysts have long supported such a merger. The smokeless tobacco market is growing, and the companies could cut costs because they market and distribute to the same outlets. As cigarette sales have declined steadily over past decades, Altria has sought other revenue streams. Last year, it bought John Middleton, a maker of cigars and pipe tobacco. (More tobacco companies stories.)