John Player & Sons

John Player & Sons, most often known simply as Player's, was a tobacco and cigarette manufacturer based in Nottingham, England. In 1901 the company merged with twelve other companies to become a branch of the Imperial Tobacco Company of Great Britain and Ireland. The company pioneered the advertising with trading (cigarette) cards. As a branch, Player's continued this practice (see below), most notably with a series devoted to the association football in the 1930s. The brands currently sold, "Players" and "John Player Special" are owned and marketed by Imperial Brands and, especially in markets external to the UK, by British American Tobacco. In the UK, the JPS Players brand is the third-most popular cigarette brand (As of November 2025). Its Gold Leaf rolling tobacco is the fourth most-popular in the UK.