Hay River (Sep 11/06) - Some Northern smokers are finding it harder to buy their favourite brands of cigarettes.

That's because the distribution system for Imperial Tobacco Canada - the maker of such popular brands as Player's, du Maurier, Matinee and Cameo - is in chaos.

According to the company, the major wholesalers supplying the NWT and elsewhere have stopped carrying Imperial Tobacco products after it launched a new direct-to-retailer distribution system in the south.

The new system bypasses wholesalers in larger markets.

Bigway Foods in Hay River was out of Player's Light and du Maurier regular late last week.

"We're out of a lot of the brands right now," said Steve Anderson, the manager of Bigway.

Anderson and other retailers say they have had difficulty getting information on the situation from Imperial Tobacco Canada.

"We need to know what to do and where to go," he said, adding retailers just want to satisfy their customers' needs.

Catherine Doyle, Imperial Tobacco Canada's manager of corporate communications in Montreal, said the direct-to-retailer system, which was initiated Sept. 5, is only intended for urban areas in the south.

The company had planned to continue using wholesalers for the North and other remote and rural parts of the country.

However, she said the four main wholesalers supplying the NWT have chosen to stop carrying the company's products.

"We found out through the retailers," Doyle said, adding the company only learned of the wholesalers' intentions last week.

Spokespersons for the wholesale distributors involved either declined comment or could not be reached.

Meanwhile, Imperial Tobacco is left scrambling to fill the void.

"We're putting in place a network to ensure retailers in the NWT have access to our products," Doyle said.

The details of the plan are being worked out, and Doyle said it is hoped to be in place in two to four weeks.

In the meantime, retailers are being urged to either contact their regular wholesalers or find a new supplier.

As of Sept. 7, Winks convenience store in Yellowknife had been out of Player's Light and du Maurier kingsize packs for four days.

Manager Abdullah Al-Mahamud said he has to explain to customers why their favourite cigarettes are not available, and some are upset about it.

Al-Mahamud said he expects to get a final shipment from a wholesaler early this week.

After that, he will be relying on Imperial's new system, but he can't say how it will work.

"Time is going to say that."

Another NWT retailer, who did not want his name used, is very critical of Imperial Tobacco Canada, and said the distribution change is creating "absolute chaos" across the country.

He added information has been almost impossible to obtain from the company.

"The arrogance of this particular company is absolutely unpalatable," he said.

While direct-to-retailer delivery is used for many other products, Imperial is the first tobacco company in the country to try to implement the system.

In a news release when the change was first announced in May, Benjamin Kemball, the company's president and chief executive officer, called it an initiative to help make the company more efficient.