FDBusiness.com

Intersnack, the private German snacks group, is reported to be considering making a bid for KP Snacks, United Biscuits’ snacks division. With annual sales of Eur1.5 billion and employing 6,000 people, Internack is one of the largest manufacturers of savoury snacks in Europe.

Operarting four factories and employing about 1,500 people, KP Snacks is the second largest bagged snack company in the UK and has shown consistent top and bottom line growth for the last five years. Its portfolio includes household brand favourites such as McCoy’s, Hula Hoops, KP Nuts and Skips, together with a range of other well known brands ripe for development like Phileas Fogg, Space Raiders, Nik Naks and Wheat Crunchies.

United Biscuits’ current joint owners, private equity companies Blackstone Group and PAI Partners, recently separated UB into two distinct businesses – one focused on biscuits and the other on bagged snacks – prior to disposal of the two units. UB was offered for sale in 2010 with a price tag of about £2 billion but the auction process was unsuccessful. Blackstone Group and PAI Partners acquired UB for ₤1.6 billion in 2006.