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Thursday, October 22, 2009

One potato, pretzel: Snyder's buying Utz

Snyder’s of Hanover plans to buy Utz Quality Foods Inc., uniting one of Pennsylvania's big local pretzel-bakers with one of the state's most aggressively-marketed potato-chip lines. Both businesses (like Philadelphia's Tastykake and Hershey Foods) have been under pressure as Americans' relationship with fatty, sweet, salty snacks gets more ambiguous.

Snyder's president Carl E. Lee Jr. and chairman Mike Warehime announced the deal; they didn't say what they're paying. Each company employs around 2,200.  "Snyder’s of Hanover plans to continue operations in all four of the Hanover, Pa., Utz plants, plus the Snyder’s of Hanover’s plant, and there will be no anticipated job losses," Lee said in a written statement.

Snyder's of Hanover (not to be confused with rival Snyder's of Berlin, Pa.) says it's keeping Utz's managers and plants. "This is the perfect marriage of two leading snack food companies whose relative business strengths are highly complementary in terms of product line and geographic reach," Warehime said in the statement.

Snyder's makes pretzels, Krunchers Kettle Chips, O-Ke-Doke Popcorn, and Jays Potato Chips, which it purchased in 2007 with Chicago-based Jays Foods and its Jeffersonville, Indiana plant, which stays open, as does its Goodyear, Ariz., plant, which serves the West.

Besides its own name brands, Utz makes Kettle Classic, Home Style and Mystic potato chips and crisps, along with pretzels, tortilla chips, cheese curls, popcorn, and "multi-grain sunflower chips" sold along the East Coast.

Update: Read Harold Brubaker’s Inquirer story here.







 
Posted by Joseph N. DiStefano @ 9:27 AM  Permalink | 3 comments
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:36 AM, 10/22/2009
    Great to have a merger of company, that enforces it's base in PA.
    — Dadair1
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:42 AM, 10/22/2009
    I like both brands' pretzels, but definitely think the Utz pretzel is superior. The Snyder's is a good change of pace, though. If your reading Mr. Lee and Mr. Warehime, please continue to make both styles!
    — zeva4wck
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:45 AM, 10/22/2009
    Pray Snyder's doesn't change the Utz recipe, do you know they are low/lower salt than any other regular chip, even though they do not advertise it? Live for Utz in NC, after three years here they seem to be in almost all grocers, used to only be able to buy them in Sheetz.
    — RobynS8971


3 comments
About Joseph N. DiStefano
Joseph N. DiStefano writes this blog to feed his PhillyDeals column in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Joe has been a member of Bloomberg LP’s New York Finance Team, wrote the book “Comcasted,” taught writing at St. Joseph’s University, and studied economics and history at Penn. Reach Joe at 215-854-5194 and JoeD@phillynews.com
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