It is two years since US food group Ralcorp Holdings spun off branded breakfast cereal maker Post Holdings. And the Grape Nuts owner has, through a number of acquisitions, rapidly built a broader business designed to diversify away from a cereal market in the doldrums. Click on the headlines for more detail on Post’s purchases.
December 2012
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Post kicked off its acquisitions with the purchase of Attune Foods, a branded breakfast cereal business but one operating in faster-growing segments like gluten free. The company disclosed the deal in a results announcement in February 2013.
9 May 2013
Post buys Hearthside cereal, snacks assets
The Honey Bunches of Oats owner strikes a US$158m deal to buy cereal, granola and snacks assets owned by Hearthside Food Solutions.
13 May 2013
Post Holdings: we have resources for more M&A
Announcing Post’s results for the most recent quarter, Post CFO Rob Vitale told analysts M&A is “central” to the company’s moves to “build long-term value”.
2 August 2013
Post to acquire Premier Nutrition Corporation
The company signs a definitive agreement to acquire US protein food and drink maker Premier Nutrition Corporation (PNC) for US$180m. The move provides Post with a springboard into the active nutrition and supplement market.
16 September 2013
Cereals firm Post Holdings to buy Dakota Growers Pasta
Post enters pasta with a deal to buy Dakota Growers Pasta Co. from commodities giant Glencore. Post pays US$370m for the business, which it describes as a “leader” in the $5bn North American pasta market, in private-label retail, foodservice and ingredient channels.
9 December 2013
Post Holdings strikes two more deals
The company says it plans to pay C$320m for Canada-based peanut butter manufacturer Golden Boy and splash out another US$380m on protein bar firm Dymatize.
3 February 2014
US/SWITZ: Post to buy Nestle’s PowerBar, Musashi brands
Post’s ambitions continue into 2014 with a deal to buy Nestle’s PowerBar and Musashi brands, expanding its sports nutrition business.
17 April 2014
US: Acquisitive Post Holdings swoops for Michael Foods
Deal-hungry US food group Post Holdings announces its biggest takeover – an agreement to buy egg-to-dairy supplier Michael Foods for US$2.45bn.
