Through its international holdings, including ownership of the former Consolidated Cigar Holdings and half ownership of the Cuban state tobacco monopoly, Habanos S.A., Altadis was the largest producer of mass market and premium cigars in the world, as well as the fourth largest producer of tobacco products.

In 1926, France concentrated its tobacco industry into a single state-run monopoly called SEIT (Service d'Exploitation industrielle des tabacs).

[4] In August 2000, Consolidated Cigar and Havatampa, owned by Tabacalera, merged to form Altadis USA.

[6] The acquisition was cleared by the Spanish stock market regulator on 7 November 2007, paving the way for the creation of the world's fourth largest tobacco company.

In January 2019, Altadis announced new heads of sales and consumer marketing, in the face of Paul Waller and Brad Winstead.