In a major deal for the Pennsylvania snack foods industry, which is under pressure from national players and from America's increasingly ambivalent relationship with junk food, Snyder's of Hanover Inc. is buying crosstown rival Utz Quality Foods. Inc.
The two family-owned companies were short on details in their announcement today, which is sure to unnerve residents of Hanover, Pa., where the two companies have five factories that are major employers.
"We are pleased to announce that two market leaders will be combining forces to create a stronger company that will strengthen our position in the marketplace, serve our retailers and vendors better, and continue to give consumers the brands and products that they have loved from both companies," Carl E. Lee, Jr., president and chief executive of Snyder's of Hanover, said in a statement.
The price was not disclosed.
Snyder's, a pretzel maker founded in 1909, has plants in Indiana and Arizona, in addition to its flagship site in Hanover. The company employs 2,250. Utz, best know for its potato chips that William and Salie Utz began making 1921 and delivering to Baltimore markets, has four plants in Hanover, where it produces a full line of snack foods and employs 2,200.
Snyder's said it would continue operating all five Hanover plants.
Contact staff writer Harold Brubaker at 215-854-4651 or hbrubaker@phillynews.com.
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