Two major United States brands are becoming one entity as The J.M. Smucker Co. announced a deal to acquire Hostess Brands for $34.25 per share in a cash and stock transaction. This puts the total enterprise value at approximately $5.6 billion. Through the acquisition, J.M. Smucker aims to expand its offering of beloved brands in growing categories and accelerate its focus on convenience.
"We are excited to announce the acquisition of Hostess Brands, which represents a compelling expansion of our family of brands and a unique opportunity to accelerate our focus on delighting consumers with convenient solutions across different meal and snacking occasions," said Mark Smucker, Chair of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer of J.M. Smucker. "With this acquisition, we are adding an iconic sweet snacking platform; enhancing our ability to deliver brands consumers love and convenient solutions they desire; and leveraging the attributes Hostess Brands offers, including its strong convenience store distribution and leading innovation pipeline, combined with our strong commercial organization and consistent retail execution across channels to drive continued growth. Our organization is well positioned to deliver on the great potential our expanded family of brands offers, as has been reflected by our history of growth through acquisition and the successful integration of new categories to our business. We look forward to this exciting new chapter for The J.M. Smucker Co."
The transaction includes the Hostess Brands sweet baked goods brands and the Voortman® cookie brand, a release stated. It also includes manufacturing facilities in Emporia, Kansas; Burlington, Ontario; Chicago, Illinois; Columbus, Georgia; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Arkadelphia, Arkansas, which is currently under construction, as well as a distribution facility in Edgerton, Kansas. Additionally, approximately 3,000 employees will join J.M. Smucker.
Financial highlights of the transaction include:
"I am extremely proud of the entire Hostess Brands team for the legacy they created in building a premier snacking company and driving industry-leading returns for our investors," Andy Callahan, President and CEO of Hostess Brands commented. "Today represents another exciting chapter for Hostess Brands as we combine our iconic snacking brands with The J.M. Smucker Co.'s family of beloved brands. We believe this is the right partnership to accelerate growth and create meaningful value for consumers, customers, and shareholders. Our companies share highly complementary go-to-market strategies, and we are very similar in our core business principles and operations. Above all else, Hostess Brands and The J.M. Smucker Co. share a deep commitment to inspiring moments of joy and satisfaction through our products, and we look forward to continuing to do so as part of The J.M. Smucker Co. family."
The transaction is anticipated to close in the third quarter of J.M. Smucker’s current fiscal year ending April 30, 2024.
To read more, click here.
Deli Market News will keep you in the loop on the latest industry acquisitions and more.
