LONDON (Brand Republic) 鈥 US confectionery giant Hershey Foods has bought Nabisco鈥檚 mints and gum business for $135m cash.
Hershey takes over the Ice Breakers and Breath Savers Cool Blast mints brands which, along with others, achieved sales of $270m in 1999. It has also acquired a gum manufacturing plant in Puerto Rico.
The deal is conditional on completion of Philip Morris鈥檚 acquisition of Nabisco.
Hershey chairman Kenneth Wolfe said the brands had good consumer appeal. 鈥淭hey are strong players in the fast-growing mini and full-size intense mint product lines,鈥 he said.