Scandinavian Tobacco buys C. American cigar plants

COPENHAGEN, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Europe's largest cigar manufacturer, Scandinavian Tobacco Group, said on Thursday it had bought two family-owned cigar factories in Central America for an undisclosed sum to expand its global footprint.

The factories are in Danli, in Honduras, and Esteli, in Nicaragua, and jointly employ around 950 people producing about 17 million hand-rolled, premium cigars a year, Denmark-based Scandinavian Tobacco said in a statement.

The sellers are the Olivas and Torano families. No financial details were provided.

Scandinavian Tobacco Group is the world's largest pipe tobacco maker and the world's third-largest cigar producer. (Copenhagen Newsroom, editing by Will Waterman)