Heinz Agrees to Purchase Kraft Foods, Combined Companies to Have Revenue of $28B
Heinz will merge with Kraft Foods creating a food giant, the third-largest in North America. The deal was facilitated by 3G Capital and Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway, according to Bloomberg.
The news sent shares of Kraft surging by as much as 33 percent to $81.50. Kraft shareholders will receive 49 percent of the stock in the combined company and a special $16.50 cash dividend per share owned, the two companies said Wednesday.
Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital will invest $10 billion into the new company which will be called Kraft Heinz Co. The new company will have headquarters in both the Pittsburgh and Chicago areas. Current Heinz Chief Executive Officer Bernardo Hees will keep his position.
"This is my kind of transaction, uniting two world-class organizations and delivering shareholder value," Buffett said in a statement. "I'm excited by the opportunities for what this new combined organization will achieve."
Combining Kraft and Heinz will create a company with all sorts of household names with everything from Kraft's Oscar Mayer meats and Jell-O to Heinz's ketchup and Ore Ida's potatoes.
Kraft has struggled recently to keep up with competitors and changing tastes of consumers. Lately, consumers have been demanding fresher and less-processed foods.
Last month, in a conference call with analysts, Kraft's CEO John Cahill agreed that changes were needed for the company.
"We've done fine. This is not a broken company by any stretch. But we do need to adapt a turnaround mindset in many ways," Cahill said on the call.
3G Capital acquired Heinz two years ago. Last year, a huge purchase was assisted by 3G Capital as Burger King Worldwide Inc. purchased Canadian coffee-and-doughnut chain Tim Hortons Inc.
The deal is expected to close in the second half of the year after both companies unanimously approved the deal, according to LA Times.
What do you think of a combined Kraft and Heinz company? Will they succeed? Leave us your thoughts below.
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