Britain's Imperial Brands is preparing to cut thousands of jobs in key markets, including the United States and Europe, to reduce costs, Bloomberg News reported citing people familiar with the matter. Shares of the tobacco firm fell 5.3% to 2,643 pence by 14:24 GMT on Monday (10 August). Imperial Brands, which employed about 25,800 staff globally at the end of 2025, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Some ITG Brand roles will be outsourced to the company's strategic partner Capgemini SE before the year-end, the Bloomberg reported. In April of this year, Imperial Brands forecast its first-half adjusted operating profit would be slightly higher year-on-year and maintained its annual targets, but said the impact of the Middle Eastern conflict could disrupt second-half performance.