Hershey goes salty, buys Dot’s Homestyle Pretzels for $1.2B

By DEE-ANN DURBIN
AP Business Writer

Hershey is expanding its salty snack portfolio with the purchase of Dot’s Homestyle Pretzels. The Hershey Co. said Wednesday that it will spend $1.2 billion for North Dakota-based Dot’s Pretzels as well as Pretzels Inc., an Indiana-based manufacturer of Dot’s Pretzels that operates three plants. The deal is expected to close later this year. Hershey has been seeing faster growth for salty snacks like Pirate’s Booty than its other offerings like candy and gum.