Vending

Utz Brands to acquire Vitner’s brand for $25M

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January 11, 2021

Utz Brands Inc., a U.S. manufacturer of branded salty snacks, is acquiring specific assets related to Snak King Corp.'s Vitner's brand, a brand of snack foods in the Chicago metropolitan market, for $25 million, according to a press release.

The assets include intellectual property, including the Vitner's trademark, and direct-store-delivery distribution assets related to Vitner's branded products.

Vitner's, established in 1926, is an iconic brand in the Chicago area and its approximately 55 DSD routes will provide Utz a strengthened foothold in Chicago and the Midwest from which to further grow the presence of its Power Brands, which include Utz, On The Border, Zapp's, Golden Flake, Good Health, Boulder Canyon, Hawaiian Brand and Tortiyahs!

Vitner's potato chips, cheese snacks, corn snacks and popcorn will move Utz from the number seven position to the number four position among salty snacks in the Chicago market, and the fourth largest salty snack market in the U.S. at approximately $688 million in annual retail sales for the 52 weeks ending Nov. 29, 2020 according to the press release.

Most of Vitner's products are manufactured by Snak King, but Utz plans to transition manufacturing of most of those products to its own manufacturing plants.

Vitner's generated net sales of $25 million and pro forma adjusted earnings of $3.4 million for the last 12 months ended Sept. 27, 2020.