Benson & Hedges was founded in London in 1873 by Richard Benson and William Hedges. The British company's American branch became independent in 1928 and was acquired by Philip Morris in 1958, while the UK business was acquired by Gallaher Group in 1955. The brand introduced longer 100 mm cigarettes in Canada in 1967, followed by Lights 100s (Regular and Menthol) in the late 1970s and King Size in 1986. Manufacturing is by Philip Morris USA, British American Tobacco, Rothmans, Benson & Hedges or Japan Tobacco depending on region; production for UK markets moved from Ballymena, Northern Ireland to Eastern Europe in 2017.
