With the news Friday that that most American of all brands, Hostess– the 82-year-old purveyor of Ding Dongs, Wonder Bread, and, yes, Twinkies – is finally closing its door as it heads for liquidation (after a failed attempt to restructure under a Chapter 11 earlier this year), much has been made of what has been lost. An American corporate icon. The familiarity of specific childhood deserts. Our favorite treats, ne’er to be had again.
And, the panicked pricing and buying and hoarding of such baked confections as Twinkies – which, as of Sunday night, were selling for more than $200/box on eBay– reinforces America’s collective sense of nostalgia and loss for all things Hostess.
Well, Twinkie-lovers, you can relax. Your favorite treat (most likely) isn’t going anywhere.
Here’s why: after attempting to restructure its debts and obligations through a Chapter 11 filing earlier this year, Twinkie “parent” brand Hostess has filed for Chapter 7 and is set to appear in a New York bankruptcy courtroom“Monday to start the process of selling itself.” This means that while Hostess will shut down, and cease operations at its corporate level, it’s set to sell off its “arms and legs” – including equipment, business divisions, and brands. With revenue boasting more than $65MM this year alone (combined with brand recognition – as evidenced by the frantic snatching up of remaining product this weekend), the Twinkie recipe/brand is an attractive acquisition in this Chapter 7.
Consequently, as you read this, employees at an investment firm (or several) – mostly likely a private equity group with a portfolio featuring several synergistic snack foods similar to Twinkies, etc. – are busy frantically pricing an offering that will bring the creamy cake treat into their portfolio and back onto the streets.
So please, junk-food lovers, stop freaking out about getting your Twinkie fix and rewarding the vultures taking advantage of unnecessary panic from this Chapter 7. After all, if you had been this excited about Twinkies all along, Hostess may never have had to shut its doors in the first place.
Margaret Bogenrief is a partner with ACM Partners, a boutique crisis management and distressed investing firm serving companies and municipalities in financial distress. She can be reached at margaret@acm-partners.com.
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