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In reply to the discussion: Twinkies Maker Will Close After Strike [View all]surrealAmerican
(11,355 posts)37. Some relevant history:
from wikipedia:
The company's founder, Newman E. Drake, baked his first pound cake in Brooklyn, New York, in 1888.
...
By the late 1960s, the resulting Drake Bakeries was owned by the huge Borden food company, along with Cracker Jack and Wise Potato Chips. In 1987, Borden sold the company to Ralston Purina, which owned ITT Continental Baking Company, makers of rival Hostess Cakes and Wonder Bread
...
Drake's was acquired by the Canadian company Culinar in 1991.
...
In 1998 Drake's was sold by Culinar, Inc., to Interstate Bakeries Corporation, which had previously acquired ITT/CBC and its Hostess and Wonder brands. The resultant market concentration was not overturned because other companies such as Little Debbie avoided it, having sufficiently expanded market share since the previous monopoly arbitration. In the New York City area Drake's and Hostess operations were combined, sharing the same trucks, delivery routes, and store racks.
The point you may be heading to is that, if we would enforce our anti-trust laws in this country, these sorts of problems could be largely avoided.
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Just barely, and the bakers' union got an outside evaluation of the reorganization plan.
Bolo Boffin
Nov 2012
#16
But if they had agreed to the concessions the owners would get the blame instead of the union.
Kablooie
Nov 2012
#60
They had already taken concesions to save the company before and lost their pensions
Omaha Steve
Nov 2012
#48
And the company broke the contract by not paying into the pension plan ...
SomeGuyInEagan
Nov 2012
#71
A lot of those brands were probably individual, regional, businesses at one time?
hexola
Nov 2012
#30
a point of clarity, we used to call wonder bread a cake because it is made from a batter,
MrYikes
Nov 2012
#46
I wish someone would buy it that's interested in producing products, not simply wealth.
Kablooie
Nov 2012
#59